Dozens of Ukrainian children from a Russian-occupied city in Ukraine were taken to Belarus and sent to “emergency survival training” with the Belarusian military, according to local media.
The Belarus 4 Mogilev state television channel reported on Wednesday that 35 children from the city of Antratsyt in eastern Ukraine, which Russia has occupied since 2014, were sent to the eastern Belarusian city of Mogilev, where they were taught “how to behave in extreme situations” in exercises with the Belarusian military.
In the report, the children — some of whom are wearing tracksuits with Russian flags printed on their sleeves — are shown holding on to each other and covering their faces during a fire drill.
Thousands of Ukrainian children have been deported to Russia and Belarus from Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. In July 2023, Russian Children’s Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova put the figure of Ukrainian children “received” by Russia at 700,000, claiming most were accompanied by their parents or other relatives.
A study by Yale University found that between September 2022 and May 2023, over 2,400 Ukrainian children aged 6 to 17 were deported to Belarus from the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine, which are occupied by Russian forces.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko met with a group of deported Ukrainian kids last month, promising to “embrace these children, bring them to our home, keep them warm and make their childhood happier.”
In March 2023, the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Lvova-Belova, accusing them of overseeing the “unlawful deportation” of Ukrainian children.
On December 30, russia launched at least 6 strikes on Kharkiv. Buildings in the central part of the city are seriously damaged, a fire broke out on the spot.
Currently, at least 16 people are reported injured. This is happening the next day after a massive russian missile barrage in Ukraine.
This is a daily reminder that russia continues to target peaceful Ukrainian cities, trying to destroy them day by day. From the very start of the full-scale invasion Kharkiv continues to suffer from russian strikes, which are directed at residential buildings or historically important places.
The head of the Regional Military Administration, Prokudin, showed what Kherson looks like after the nighttime Russian attack by "Shahed" type drones. The administrative building was destroyed, the windows of the surrounding houses were blown out by the blast wave. There are no dead or injured people.
‼️Approximately 110 missiles were launched by Russia, most of them were shot down, - Zelenskyi
Maternity hospital, educational institutions, shopping center, high-rise buildings and private houses, commercial warehouse, parking lot. Kyiv, Lviv, Odesa, Dnipro, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia and our other cities.
Today, Russia was fighting with almost everything it has in its arsenal: "daggers" ("kyndzhaly"), S-300, cruise missiles, UAVs. Strategic bombers launched X-101/X-505. Approximately 110 missiles were fired, most of which were shot down.
Unfortunately, as a result of the shelling, there are dead and wounded.
The Russian army struck Mykhailivka in the Kherson region in the morning. At least 20 hits were recorded in the center of the village. The school, administration building and shop were damaged. There are no dead or injured — Regional Military Administration.
Photo: Kherson Regional Military Administration/Telegram
Around 3:00 p.m., Russian troops shelled Semenivka in Chernihiv region — a 32-year-old man was killed, the head of the Regional Military Administration Chaus reported. More than 30 houses and other civil infrastructure were damaged.
On December 30, the Russian military shelled Selydove in Donetsk region. One person died, six were injured. 38 houses and power lines were damaged, reported the City Military Administration.