04 April 2025
(PHOTOS: Suspilne)
The militarization of children has intensified in the occupied Crimea and Kherson region. In total, more than six thousand children are currently undergoing military training.
This was reported by Maria Sulyalina, head of the Almenda Center for Civic Education, during the presentation of the analytical report "Russia's Policy of Destroying the Identity of Children in the TOT of Ukraine: Results of 2024".
As of April 2025, there are 260 cadet classes in the temporarily occupied Crimea. Over the past academic year, their number increased by 63 - in 2024, there were 197. In addition, there are 16 Cossack classes on the peninsula. In total, 6265 children are undergoing military training in schools.
According to her, in 2025, the process of militarization of children in the occupied regions will only accelerate. This is due to the fact that Russia has planned a large-scale campaign aimed at preparing young people for military service. Such practices are already spreading in the occupied territories, particularly in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.
According to Almenda, there are currently 9 cadet classes in the occupied part of Kherson region, 13 in Zaporizhzhia, and 86 in Luhansk. There is no information on the number of such classes in Donetsk region.
According to Maria Sulyalina, the "youth army" includes a number of militaristic activities: work in "schools of future commanders," participation in special camps, and military training.
In addition, the number of children involved in the Russian paramilitary organization "Yunarmiya" is growing. In 2017, 1500 children were members of the organization in Crimea, and in November 2024, the number was over 15,000. A similar situation is observed in other occupied territories: in Kherson region alone, the number of children involved in the "youth army" increased from 200,000 to 600,000 in one year.
The occupation authorities are actively using schools to force children to join pro-Russian organizations, spreading propaganda and imposing their ideology. In classes taught by occupier-appointed "teachers", children are told about the "heroism" of the Russian army, while discrediting Ukraine and its Defense Forces.
In one of the schools, students are involved in the manufacture of parts for weapons, including components for drones and charging elements for Kalashnikov rifles. In addition, engineering classes are being set up in the temporarily occupied territories to teach teenagers how to assemble drones for the needs of the Russian army.
As part of this campaign, almost 200 schools have been renamed after the so-called "heroes of the Russian army" - Russian soldiers who fought against Ukraine. The Center of National Resistance emphasized that the militarization of education in the TOT is another war crime of the Russian Federation, for which it will be held accountable under international law and by the Ukrainian people.
Анна Бальчінос