Killer Kids #6 - Ch-Ch-Chechnya!

The Chechen/Russian conflict has been boiling for decades. Chechen forces actively recruit children by force, a recent report by Newsweek putting their numbers at 35,000 strong. That's a lot of kids. The Chechen army primarily uses children as suicide bombers, land mine detectors, spies and messengers. However, the Russian government too exploits children in warfare. A government program adopts Russian orphans to tag along with military brigades and go through training, learning about firearms and gas masks for instance. Military school provides these children with an education, but also subjects them to harsh practices and sometimes even war. The Russian government claims this program is justified because the orphans have no better alternative. Currently, there are no demobilization programs in either Chechnya or Russia.

"There have been occasions where the troops of Russia performed “cleansing” operations in parts of Chechnya where boys believed to be rebels were sent off to camps to be tortured or killed. It is believed that over 90 children have been killed in this manner. The official government line on this issue is that these children had to be eliminated because they collaborated and conspired with Chechen rebels." -Young Blood




"Russia has turned us into cattle. It is driving our youth into the arms of whoever comes along first and says 'Go with us'." Mother in Chechnya.