Ukrainian law enforcement officers and the Ministry of Education and Science are sounding the alarm: Russian special services are actively involving children in subversive activities through manipulation, blackmail, and deception. Teenagers are tempted with "easy money," forced to perform "simple tasks," which later develop into serious crimes.
Recruited children may not realize that they are becoming participants in illegal activities. For example, in Ivano-Frankivsk, two schoolchildren were remotely detonated while carrying explosives.
Russians use various methods to involve minors in crimes: posing as friends, posing as police, or simply offering money for posting leaflets, setting fires, or filming strategic objects.
How to recognize recruitment?
Experts advise parents to pay attention to changes in their child's behavior:
-
the appearance of incomprehensible funds or expensive gadgets;
-
isolation, prolonged stay on social networks, avoids talking about dating on the Internet;
-
new acquaintances who offer suspicious “part-time jobs”;
-
a keen interest in military affairs, strategic objects, and politics;
-
Talk about “easy money” online.
How to protect a child?
The Ministry of Education and Science advises parents to maintain trusting relationships with their children, take an interest in their social circle, and monitor the content they consume on social media. It is important to teach teenagers digital safety rules, explain the risks of recruitment, and explain responsibility for crimes.
In case of suspicion, you should calmly talk to the child, do not pressure him, and also save evidence (screenshots, links to recruiters' accounts) and contact the cyber police or the Security Service of Ukraine.
The role of educators in countering recruitment
Educators can help by teaching media literacy, critical thinking, and safe online behavior. It is also important to create a safe space where children can share suspicious situations and cooperate with parents and law enforcement.
