July 11, 2025, 9:02 a.m.
(PHOTO: Istockphoto)
The occupiers in Crimea have increased mobilization pressure on local residents, forcing them to sign contracts with the Russian army even without their consent. At the same time, the militarization of education continues: Russian propaganda is being promoted in schools, and teenagers are being taught military skills.
This was reported by the head of the Crimean Tatar Resource Center Eskender Bariev, according to Suspilne.Krym.
According to him, in the first half of 2025, the Crimean Tatar Resource Center recorded new methods of pressure used by the Russian occupiers in Crimea to replenish the ranks of the Russian army through the local population.
The security forces illegally use the personal data of Crimeans to sign contracts with the Russian army. Young people are forced to sign these contracts, promising them a shorter service period in return. Particular attention is paid to students - in particular, at the Crimean Federal University, the elders were forced to collect information about those who risk failing the session. After all, three "failing grades" mean expulsion, which is a direct path to a summons.
The occupation authorities are also putting pressure on those who come under the scrutiny of law enforcement. Now, people who are just opening a case are offered to avoid prosecution in exchange for a contract with the Russian armed forces. If they agree, the case is closed.
Bariiev noted that, in addition, the militarization of children is actively being conducted in Crimea: 140 schools are named after "heroes of their own country," museums, stands, and patriotic clubs are being created in educational institutions. Intelligence veterans have opened a children's club called Griffin in Crimea, where teenagers are taught the basics of military training, and a School of Young Commanders is operating in Bakhchisarai.
There are also facts of illegal changes in the demography of the peninsula - almost 3,000 Russian military personnel have received land plots in Crimea. In June, in Sevastopol, the occupiers raided a market and issued summonses to 13 criminals simply by checking their documents.
In the occupied Crimea, students are being forced to participate in military training under the guidance of Russian militants. More than a thousand young people are taking tactical medicine courses. Another 800 students are being forced to paint kindergartens in Simferopol with "patriotic" images - portraits of Putin, army symbols, and war scenes. Propaganda imposes the cult of the great state on children from the age of three through projects like Eagles of Russia, and from the age of 12 through the militarized organization Unarmia.
Анна Бальчінос