The article from The Moscow Times examines how some children of Russian servicemen fighting in Ukraine end up trapped in a dysfunctional institutional care system. While the Kremlin promotes the idea that these children are protected, regional ombudsmen and firsthand accounts reveal a harsher reality: many families are plunged into poverty after a father is declared missing or killed, children are shuffled between relatives or into orphanages, and widows lose critical state support. Russian orphanages are criticized for poor conditions, abuse, and failing to prepare youths for adulthood. In some cases, “veteran privileges” allow fathers—even those long absent—to regain custody, regardless of their ability to care or support the child.