New School Enrollment Rules in Occupied Crimea Block Parents Without Russian Citizenship Stamp

In the occupied Crimea, parents cannot enroll their children in school without a stamp of citizenship or a residence permit in the Russian Federation on their birth certificates. The new requirements are the result of changes to Russian legislation aimed at strengthening control over "migrants" and their children.

This was reported by the Voice of Crimea news agency.

The occupation authorities of Crimea have introduced new bureaucratic obstacles for parents who want to send their children to school. Since April 1, schools have been requiring a stamp of citizenship or a residence permit in Russia in the birth certificate. The problem is most acute in Sevastopol: it is difficult to get the stamp, and without it, the child is not accepted to school.

According to the new rules adopted in December 2024, Russian schools are obliged to check whether a child is legally in Russia. The changes affected all schoolchildren under 14 who do not yet have a passport - they are required to have a stamp in their certificate. The occupiers justify the innovations by "fighting illegal migration" and the desire not to interfere with Russian children in classrooms.

In the absence of a stamp, the application on the State Services portal hangs in the "under consideration" status. Parents have to go to the registration centers in person with a package of documents: passports, birth certificates, and a notarized translation if the document is of Ukrainian form.

Collaborator Kryvonis, who holds the position of "director of the department of education" in Sevastopol, promised to increase the number of "stamping" points and expand their schedule. He assures that the documents can be submitted until June 30 and even on the last day the child will be accepted at the place of residence - if there are all the "correct" marks.

According to the new laws, children without knowledge of Russian will not be admitted to schools. The level of language proficiency will be checked through free testing. These changes are part of a new wave of tough migration policy by the Kremlin. One of the authors of the innovations said that the presence of "foreign-speaking" children interferes with others and suggested making education for "migrants" paid.

In Crimea, the invaders are also actively militarizing the educational space: there are already 260 cadet classes in schools, which is 63 more than last year. There are also 16 Cossack classes, and in total, almost 6,300 children are undergoing military training.

Meanwhile, the Russian authorities have planned to take more than 4,000 children from the left-bank part of Kherson region to camps "for rest." These are 77 educational institutions, although the exact locations are not disclosed. Last year, more than a thousand children from Kherson region were held in the Crimean Artek, where they were forced to make equipment for the Russian military - weaving nets, assembling drones and making trench candles.

Анна Бальчінос