Russia's Militarization of Ukrainian Youth: The Yunarmiya Risk

Since the temporary occupation of the Kherson region, the Russian authorities have been actively taking measures aimed at militarizing children and youth in general. One of the key tools of this process is the recruitment of minors to the so-called "Yunarmiya".

According to the Center for National Resistance, the occupation administrations are conducting a large-scale campaign to recruit Ukrainian children to the Yunarmiya.

"The process often takes place under duress or through psychological pressure. Schoolchildren are forced to write applications to join the organization, and parents are threatened with social sanctions if their children refuse to participate in 'patriotic' events," the CNS said in a statement.

The forced involvement of children in this organization is also carried out through propaganda in schools. So-called teachers appointed by the occupation authorities conduct classes where they impose Russian ideology on children, talk about the "heroism" of the Russian army and criticize not only the Defense Forces but also Ukraine as a whole. There are also extracurricular activities in which young people are forced to participate in military training, where they learn the basics of shooting, tactics, etc.

Thus, the occupation authorities use the "Yunarmiya" as a propaganda tool to form a hostile attitude towards Ukraine and its independence among children. School curricula have been changed in accordance with Russian standards, and Ukrainian history and culture are being pushed out of the educational process. Children are taught myths about "unity" with Russia, the "injustice" of the collapse of the USSR, and the demonization of the Ukrainian army and European values.

And for a "deep dive into the history of Russia" 140 students of grades 7-11 from the Kherson region are planned to be taken to Sevastopol in 2025 by the occupation authorities.

Earlier, the lawyer of the Regional Center for Human Rights <b>Kateryna Rashevska</b> said that the re-education of Ukrainian teenagers and youth is very well integrated into the policy of the Russian Federation, and it is carried out by bodies of different levels - federal, regional, occupation and even Ukrainian collaborators:

"This is a set of measures aimed at militarizing and politically indoctrinating Ukrainian children through both formal and non-formal education. Both in the occupied territory and in the territory of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus."

Before that, the occupation authorities of the Kherson region forced children to tear up the graves of victims of Nazi mass shootings in 1941-1943 near Henichesk. The invaders called this involvement of schoolchildren in the exhumation of human remains"patriotic education." In addition to children, heavy machinery was also involved in the "search work," which could simply destroy the burial site.

Олеся Ланцман