On June 8, Permanent Representative Olha Kuryshko met with experts of the OSCE Moscow Mechanism Herve Eric Ascensio, Elina Steinerte and Stefan Wolff. Nelia Hrynyshyn, Head of the Crimea Platform Department, also attended the meeting.  

The experts visited the Mission as they’re preparing the Report in relation to the militarization and indoctrination of Ukrainian children by the Russian Federation in the temporarily occupied territories. This marks the sixth use of the OSCE Moscow Mechanism by participating States in relation to Russia since the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Moreover, the OSCE Moscow Mechanism 2026 builds on the work of the 2023 OSCE Moscow Mechanism, which was focused on the deportation and forcible transfer of Ukrainian children by Russia.

Olha Kuryshko informed the experts on the work of the Mission, with a particular focus on monitoring the situation in temporarily occupied Crimea. The Permanent Representative 

drew the expert’s attention to the ongoing militarization and indoctrination of children and youth, including through children’s camps and paramilitary organizations such as «Movement of the First» and «Yunarmiya», which are also tools for the dissemination of propaganda.

“Crimea lacks educational and cultural programs that would normally support children’s development through learning and creativity. Instead, so-called cultural events, often of a militaristic nature, are organized to mark dates or events significant to Russian propaganda. For example, riding a tank replica in a park is offered as a way to entertain children. There are no other alternative activities in which children can participate.”

Olha Kuryshko also highlighted the involvement of the Russian Orthodox Church in the organization of such “cultural” activities, as well as the ongoing marginalization of the Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar languages at educational institutions. 

The OSCE Moscow Mechanism is a special investigative procedure, established by the OSCE in 1991 that provides for deploying independent international missions of experts to investigate severe human rights violations, war crimes, and threats to democracy within any OSCE member state, even without the consent of the state being investigated.