Recording: Q&A about ‘The War They Play’ and Russia’s militarization of Ukrainian children (Patreon)

Exclusive premiere of 'The War They Play' — followed by a Q&A with Olesia Bida and Olga Rudenko

We’re ready to present the latest documentary from our War Crimes Investigations Unit, "The War They Play," which exposes how Russia is militarizing Ukrainian children in occupied territories — drawing them into youth organizations and systematically conditioning them for military service. Before the film premieres in Kyiv, we will have an exclusive online screening for our community members, followed by a Q&A with Olesia Bida from the War Crimes Investigations Unit and editor-in-chief Olga Rudenko. The documentary follows the story of Iryna’s family (name changed), who fled Russian occupation to save her son from possible conscription. Before leaving, representatives of the occupation authorities pressured her to enroll her children in a local school, threatening to send them to an orphanage if she didn't. Another key figure in the investigation, Oksana (name changed), was promised a holiday in Crimea on the Black Sea coast by the occupying authorities. Instead, she was taken to a military training camp in Russia — part of a program established under Putin’s initiative after 2022. At the camp, Oksana was taught to dig trenches, operate drones, and carry out tasks under the supervision of Russian military instructors, who in some cases fought in Russia's war against Ukraine. Kyiv Independent journalists identified those behind such programs and uncovered how they operate. The investigation exposes a vast system that turns education and leisure for Ukrainian children in occupied territories into tools for building Russia’s army.