THE PILE OF EVIDENCE SHOWING ALLEGED RUSSIAN WAR CRIMES IN UKRAINE IS GETTING BIGGER.

THIS WEEK, A RESEARCH TEAM AT YALE UNIVERSITY, WORKING WITH THE STATE DEPARTMENT, RELEASED A REPORT SHOWING THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT IS OPERATING A SYSTEMATIC NETWORK OF MORE THAN 40 FACILITIES TO RELOCATE AND RE-EDUCATE THOUSANDS OF UKRAINIAN CHILDREN.

State Dept. Spokesman Ned Price: In many cases, Russia purported to temporarily evacuate children in Ukraine under the guise of a free summer camp, only later to refuse to return the children and cut off all contact with their families.

RUSSIA WAS A STATE PARTY TO BOTH THE FOURTH GENEVA CONVENTION AND THE CONVENTION ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD, SO THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT KNOWS THERE ARE LEGAL GUIDELINES FOR THE TREATMENT OF CHILDREN SEPARATED FROM THEIR FAMILY DURING WAR. TAKING KIDS AWAY FROM THEIR FAMILIES BY FORCE, MOVING THEM, AND THEN REFUSING TO RETURN THE KIDS ARE ALL POTENTIAL VIOLATIONS OF INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW.

ACCORDING TO THE YALE RESEARCHERS, THE RUSSIANS ARE BEING SURPRISINGLY OPEN ABOUT THE PROGRAM ON SOCIAL MEDIA. RESEARCHERS CONCLUDED THERE ARE AT LEAST 6,000 UKRAINIAN CHILDREN IN RUSSIAN CUSTODY, BUT THERE COULD BE THOUSANDS MORE.

RUSSIA IS USING AT LEAST 43 DIFFERENT FACILITIES TO HOUSE THE KIDS IN THE PROGRAM. THEIR AGES RANGE FROM TODDLERS TO TEENS. WHILE SOME KIDS ARE ADOPTED BY RUSSIAN FAMILIES, THE PRIMARY PURPOSE OF THE CAMPS SEEMS TO BE POLITICAL RE-EDUCATION, TEACHING UKRAINIANS HOW TO BE RUSSIAN.

RESEARCHERS FOUND 32 OF THE 43 CAMPS WERE ENGAGED IN RE-EDUCATION EFFORTS TO EXPOSE UKRAINIAN KIDS TO RUSSIA-CENTRIC ACADEMIC, CULTURAL, PATRIOTIC, AND EVEN MILITARY EDUCATION. MANY OF THESE CAMPS ARE TOUTED AS INTEGRATION PROGRAMS.

THE RESEARCHERS SAY THE OPERATION IS CENTRALLY COORDINATED AND INVOLVES EVERY LEVEL OF THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT, INCLUDING MARIA LVOVA-BELOVA, THE PRESIDENTIAL COMMISSIONER FOR CHILDREN’S RIGHTS IN RUSSIA, AND A CLOSE PUTIN ALLY.

RUSSIA SAYS THE PROGRAM IS SIMPLY A HUMANITARIAN PROJECT TO TAKE CARE OF DISPLACED ORPHANS.

FOR MORE OF THE UNBIASED, STRAIGHT FACTS ON THE WAR IN UKRAINE, CHECK OUT STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS DOT COM.