WARSAW (Reuters) – A teenager who was taken from Ukraine to Russian-controlled territory as part of Moscow’s deportation of Ukrainian children revealed that he was forced to recite pro-Russian messages for the camera and faced threats when he complained about the conditions he was in.
Denys Kostev, an 18-year-old orphan, is among the 4,000 orphans and children without parental care allegedly taken to Russia following the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, according to Kyiv. Russia claims it relocated the children to protect them from the war and did not act unlawfully.
After being investigated by Reuters along with more than 50 other orphaned Ukrainians from Kherson, Kostev was identified as a frequent participant in pro-Russian videos that were widely shared online.
Currently residing in Poland, Kostev expressed no intention to return to Ukraine, where some view him as a collaborator and propagandist. He stated that he participated in the videos out of fear and a sense of isolation.
“When your life is threatened, you will do anything to keep yourself safe,” he said.
Requests for comments from the Kremlin and Russia’s children’s rights commissioner, Maria Lvova-Belova, went unanswered.
The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Lvova-Belova and Russian President Vladimir Putin on war crimes charges related to the forced deportation of Ukrainian children, which Russia has condemned as unacceptable.
According to Kyiv, many Ukrainian orphans taken to Russian-controlled territory have been subjected to a program aiming to indoctrinate them with Kremlin ideology, an accusation that Moscow denies.
Although Reuters was unable to independently verify Kostev’s account of being pressured by pro-Russian officials, three teenage orphans who resided with him in Russian-occupied territory shared similar experiences of being prevented from returning to Ukraine and facing threats for non-compliance.
Kostev spent his early years in foster families and children’s homes in Kherson before being forced to leave the city while under Russian occupation in 2022. After several months in camps in Crimea, he and other teens ended up in Henichesk, where they were housed in substandard dormitories.
Upon complaining about the poor conditions, Kostev was threatened by the local police, who warned him that no one would search for him because he was an orphan.
Despite these challenges, Kostev continued to be pressurized by various officials, including the FSB, who offered him money in exchange for information about Ukrainian locations and individuals.
He was also instructed by school administrators to participate in video interviews, during which he was given scripted responses to affirm his support for the Russian army and government.
Unsatisfied with the promises made to him, Kostev eventually left Russia due to safety concerns and personal reasons, settling in Poland while awaiting paperwork to travel to Germany to reunite with family members.
Although he still echoes some pro-Russian narratives, Kostev expressed a desire to distance himself from politics and move on with his life, emphasizing his gratitude towards those who supported him and denying claims of being brainwashed.
“I’m part of both Russia and Ukraine,” he stated, adding that he simply wants to live in peace and leave the past behind.
(Additional reporting by Anton Zverev, Maria Tsvetkova, and Kacper Pempel; Editing by Christian Lowe and Daniel Flynn)
