Russia exploits disabled children’s labor to feed its war machine – report

That’s according to Resolute Square, Ukrinform reports.

“Stunning videos have emerged from a Russian volunteer group's Telegram channel spotlighting the use of mentally disabled children and adults working for free to create parts for the Kremlin war machine, the report reads.

The operation led to the discovery of the relevant videos on Telegram and further research revealed a clear connection between the Craftsmen organization utilizing the exploited labor, the Boomerang for Good NGO providing labor force to the Craftsmen, and the office of Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

The Craftsmen collective openly boasts that they “print plastic products on our 3D printers and donate them to the 'SVO' fighters free of charge”.

The NGO providing children to the production facility describes its work the following way: “Despite serious diagnoses of their own children, lack of money and time, families raising disabled children found courage and strength, united and created in the closed city of Snezhinsk, first a public organization, and in March 2015 - opened the Center for comprehensive rehabilitation and socialization of children with disabilities and children with disabilities. Today, our organization unites more than 150 families raising children with special needs, regardless of age, and the architecture of the Center includes 4 structural divisions."

The group also boasts that it has been included in the TOP-100 project-winners of Presidential Grants, being an eight-time recipient of such grants.

Oleksandr Musienko, head of the Center for Military and Legal Studies in Kyiv, stated, "What Russian propaganda won't show is this harsh reality behind this facade. They won't show how they force unfortunate children with disabilities to work for Putin's war machine. Such actions surpass the criminality of any past dictatorial regimes."

As Ukrinform reported earlier, Ukraine is set to create a register of children affected by Russian aggression. The authorities will seek compensation to children for damage to their life and health in connection with armed aggression to be paid at the expense of reparations and international financial assistance.