Russia wants to send Portuguese children to sanctioned Crimea, Ukrainians protest

ALBUFEIRA, Portugal – School children might be used as human shields on a trip proposed by the Russian Embassy in Portugal to the occupied Crimean Peninsula, a leading Ukrainian community leader said. 

Four children from the coastal town of Albufeira are being offered the chance to take part in a poetry recital contest sponsored by the Russian government, according to the Union of Ukrainians in Portugal (UUP). 

The group’s president, Pavlo Sadokha, reported that they would be sent to the renowned Artek camp in an area where combined missile and drone attacks have been recorded during the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war.

The camp itself has had sanctions imposed by Britain, the European Union and U.S., added Sadokha, who is also a UWC Vice President. 

Pursuit of policies for the “re-education of Ukrainian children” at the campsite prompted the imposition of restrictive measures. 

The offer was made to the Portuguese students on March 24, the same day that at least 10 missiles were launched over the area occupied by Russia.

Sadokha stated, “by arranging this trip for Portuguese children to Crimea, the Russian government sought to use them as human shields against the Ukrainian army.” 

The UUP sent a letter to the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in April raising concerns, but the ministry has yet to respond

The invited children didn’t attend the event but the option to visit the occupied Black Sea peninsula remains open for them, said Sadokha.

One of the reasons for the camp’s sanctions, according to UUP, is that it has been used to detain children aged 6 to 16, many of whom were forcibly taken by Russian troops during attacks on Ukraine’s Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions.

By the end of 2022, about 4,500 Ukrainian children were being held in similar camps in Crimea.

“In some cases, these children remain detained, unable to return home, and are forced to express support for Russia,” the UUP said. 

The proposed trip violates Ukrainian law and is deeply concerning, as Ukraine continues military operations to reclaim its territories from Russian occupation, including Crimea.

A researcher of covert Russian operations, who requested anonymity for security reasons, told the UUP that “the ultimate aim of such initiatives is to recruit future Kremlin sympathizers, and potentially even agents or spies.”