Fact check: Child soldiers are being used on either side of Russia's invasion of Ukraine

1. Summary of the results

The claim about child soldiers requires significant nuance. While there is no confirmed evidence of direct combat involvement of child soldiers by Ukraine ^[1], there is substantial evidence of Russia's involvement of children in military-adjacent activities. This includes:

• Military training of Ukrainian children aged 14-17 in Russian-controlled facilities ^[2]
• Use of children as young as 15 in military-industrial activities like drone assembly ^[3]
• Systematic militarization of youth in Russian-occupied territories through military-themed education and patriotic camps ^[4]

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

Several important contextual elements are missing from the original statement:

• Ukraine has implemented mechanisms to actively evacuate children from combat zones ^[1]
• There's a distinction between systematic recruitment and isolated incidents - while there are individual cases like the 17-year-old Ukrainian sapper and 15-year-old Royce training with pro-Russian separatists ^[5], these do not constitute systematic recruitment
• Russian involvement of children extends beyond direct combat to include:
• Forced participation in military support activities ^[3]
• Pressure from school administrators with threats of educational/employment consequences ^[3]
• Systematic indoctrination through military education programs ^[4]

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The statement oversimplifies a complex situation and may be part of targeted disinformation:

• Claims about child soldiers have been used in pro-Russian social media narratives, with at least one video being investigated and found potentially misleading ^[6]
• The term "child soldiers" implies direct combat involvement, while most documented cases involve military-adjacent activities or preparation
• The false equivalency between Russian and Ukrainian actions benefits Russian propaganda efforts, as it deflects from Russia's systematic militarization of youth in occupied territories
• The distinction between legal-age teenagers and underage children is crucial but often blurred in media reporting ^{[1] [1]}