Children of soldiers deployed to Ukraine are increasingly being classified as “at-risk” and removed from their homes to state-run orphanages and boarding schools, according to reports from officials in several Russian regions reviewed by the Sibirskiy Ekspress Telegram channel.
Olga Kazantseva, the children’s rights commissioner for the Altai region, warned of a “rise in indicators of family dysfunction” among families of those serving in Ukraine.
“Dozens of soldiers’ families are now registered with municipal commissions for juvenile affairs,” she told the regional parliament. “This is a serious issue requiring urgent attention to keep children with their families and address underlying causes.”
In the Zabaikalsky region, children’s ombudswoman Natalia Epova reported that soldiers’ children have been grouped into “special categories of adolescents” alongside orphans and minors from single-parent or dysfunctional households. Regional employment services there have helped 27 of these children find part-time work outside school hours.
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