INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Children of soldiers released to Ukraine are progressively being classified as at-risk and removed from their homes to state-run orphanages
and boarding schools, according to reports from authorities in several Russian regions reviewed by the Sibirskiy Ekspress Telegram
channel.Olga Kazantseva, the childrens rights commissioner for the Altai region, cautioned of an increase in indications of family
dysfunction among households of those serving in Ukraine.Dozens of soldiers families are now signed up with community commissions for
juvenile affairs, she told the local parliament.This is a serious issue requiring immediate attention to keep children with their households
and address underlying causes.In the Zabaikalsky region, childrens ombudswoman Natalia Epova reported that soldiers children have been
organized into special categories of adolescents together with orphans and minors from single-parent or inefficient families
Regional work services there have helped 27 of these kids discover part-time work outside school hours.In the republic of Buryatia,
childrens rights commissioner Natalia Gankina said she had actually gotten more than 100 inquiries over the past 3 years worrying the rights
of kids whose loved ones were taking part in the conflict.Some of these children recognized as needing support were momentarily placed in
state organizations, she said.Larisa Loskutova, the childrens ombudsman in the Tomsk area, recognized adult participation in the Ukraine war
as a crucial factor contributing to prolonged placements of children in state-run facilities.Nadezhda Manzyrova, a previous childrens rights
commissioner in the republic of Altai, validated the existence of soldiers children in state boarding institutions.Boarding schools
affiliated with regular schools are common in this region, where remote settlements often lack educational facilities and children live at
In the Kemerovo region of Siberia, a report by childrens ombudsman Valentina Bogatenko detailed several cases of servicemens kids being
admitted to orphanages.One involved the children of a contracted soldier placed in a social rehabilitation center after their mom sought
support due to hard life circumstances.Another case concerned a kid whose daddy was killed in Ukraine in 2022
Thechilds mother, not able to work due to bad health, counted on a survivors pension while living in rented housing
Authorities helped register the child in preschool and provided targeted social assistance, according to Bogatenkos report.
