Kathrine Frich
Children are often among the most vulnerable victims of war.
They are caught in conflicts they have no control over.
Across modern battlefields, they face displacement, trauma and separation from their families.
A new report is now raising fresh concerns about how the war in Ukraine is affecting the youngest civilians.
Corporate involvement
Russian energy giants Gazprom and Rosneft helped fund the transfer of Ukrainian children to Russia and occupied territories, according to a report by the Humanitarian Research Lab at Yale School of Public Health cited by Ukrainska Pravda.
The study identified at least 2,158 children taken from regions including Donetsk, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia between 2022 and 2025.
Researchers say the children were sent to a network of camps across Russia and Crimea.
Network of camps
The report names several facilities, including Prometey, Signal and Sputnik, as destinations.
Some of the camps are directly owned by subsidiaries of Gazprom.
According to the findings, children at these sites were exposed to pro-Russian messaging and, in some cases, military-style activities.
Funding system
The programme was reportedly supported through vouchers funded by corporate structures.
Gazprom-linked entities and Rosneft trade unions issued more than 1,000 such vouchers in a two-year period.
In total, dozens of organisations and individuals were identified as being involved in the system.
Sanctions gap
Researchers noted that around 80% of those linked to the programme are not currently under US or EU sanctions.
The report also highlighted a recent temporary easing of US sanctions on Russia’s energy sector.
According to the findings, this could indirectly benefit companies connected to the programme.
Legal implications
The report links these activities to broader allegations already under investigation internationally.
“Gazprom and Rosneft, based on their own public statements, social media posts, and corporate documents, are willing accomplices in activities that have resulted in International Criminal Court-issued arrest warrants for Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and Russia’s Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights, Maria Lvova-Belova.”
Sources: Yale HRL report, Ukrainska Pravda
