Teenagers recruited by Russian security services are now being recognized as victims, Prosecutor General’s Office says
Minors recruited by Russian security services to commit crimes in Ukraine have begun to be recognized in criminal proceedings as victims as well as suspects.
Deputy Prosecutor General Andrii Leshchenko said this in a comment to Censor.NET.
Why the new practice was introduced
"We recently introduced this practice. International law explicitly prohibits the use of minors as child soldiers in armed conflict. This does not involve directly drawing our children into an armed conflict or having them participate directly in hostilities. At the same time, the consequences of such activity can be comparable to those of participating in combat or being directly on the front line. These children are used to commit arson, murder, sabotage, property destruction and other crimes. The consequences are serious: the country’s defense capability is weakened, people are harmed and property is damaged. We took heed of recommendations from our international partners and decided that these children and teenagers are indeed victims of the actions of Russian security service agents," he explained.
- According to Leshchenko, teenagers are used more as tools to commit crimes because they do not fully understand the danger such acts pose to society.
He added that when these children are recognized as victims in criminal proceedings, specialists from the Coordination Center for the Support of Victims and Witnesses work with them if the children and their parents wish. The specialists provide psychological support and explain what criminal prosecution is, why it is taking place and how the court proceedings will unfold.
On their dual status
"We understand that these children would never have committed such crimes if not for agents of the Russian Federation’s security services. At the same time, unfortunately, they are already old enough to understand that these acts are offenses and are unlawful. That is why they have a dual status in such cases: they are victims in one criminal proceeding and suspects in another," the deputy prosecutor general said.
