Russia built a school-to-trenches conveyor belt for children. Is the West ready?

Western policymakers often treat “soft” humanitarian concerns—such as returning Ukrainian children from Russia—as separate from “hard” security issues like future defense guarantees for Ukraine. In reality, these cannot be disentangled. What happens to the children taken to Russia or living under occupation is fundamental to the long-term security of Ukraine and Europe. Russia’s systematic indoctrination and militarization of both its own and Ukrainian youth reveals not only its intention to prolong the conflict but also its blueprint for sustaining a long-term flow of loyal, combat-ready soldiers.