Jan. 18, 2026, 9:13 p.m.

The occupation authorities take teenagers from the TOT of Kherson region to a military camp in Russia

(PHOTO: CNS)

The occupation administration of the Kherson region has launched another stage of systematic militarization of children from TOT. A group of 24 teenagers was taken outside the occupied territory - to Volgograd in Russia - under the guise of an educational project. The real purpose of the trip was the forced integration of minors into the military infrastructure of the Russian Federation and the formation of a loyal mobilization reserve.

According to the Center for National Resistance, in the so-calledAvangarddefense and sports camp, teenagers were involved in working with UAVs, military specialties, elements of cyber operations, and tactical training.

"At the same time, they were imposedan ideological block: visits to Mamayev Kurgan, "patriotic" ceremonies and museum propaganda of the war. Children are deliberately shaped to perceive war as a norm and a way of development," the report says.

According to the sources of the National Center, the participants were selected through schools and lyceums under administrative pressure. Heads of educational institutions were told about plans for the number of children, and parents were left with no alternative - participation was presented as a "mandatory recommendation." In several cases, families were explicitly told about possible problems with payments, social assistance and academic performance in case of refusal.

Separately, the participation of the occupation governor of Kherson region ,Volodymyr Saldo, who publicly supports such trips and uses them as an element of his own propaganda campaign, was recorded. According to the CNS, it is through his office that logistics, lists of children and interaction with Russian military-patriotic centers are coordinated.

Earlier, Denys Chistikov , Deputy Permanent Representative of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, said that in 2025, Russia sharply increased funding for summer recreation in the occupied Crimea. Children's camps have actually been turned into centers of propaganda and military training.

Олеся Ланцман

You might also like:

Feb. 13, 2026

Kherson region: SBU exposes repeat offender for organizing drug channel from Latin America

Enemy troops shelled two hospitals in Kherson region with artillery

Served the enemy and hid as an IDP: ex-police officer from Kherson sentenced

Feb. 12, 2026

In occupied Kherson region, Russians loot houses of residents of Oleshky community

Kherson region starts cooperation with the French region of Brittany

Resident of Kherson region participated in activities of fake 'tax service'

Feb. 11, 2026

Rada authorizes police to take children out of combat zone without parental consent

How the largest theater in Kherson region defends historical justice and resists enemy propaganda

Kherson regional council deputy from Saldo party released from jail

Kherson region checks reconstruction of outpatient clinic for embezzlement

Head of fake ministry from Oleshky to spend eight years in prison

Ukrainian may be removed from Olympics because of helmet in memory of killed colleagues

Occupation Minister of Culture from Kherson region organized robberies of museums

Feb. 10, 2026

Creativity without limits: how the modern world helps children and adults to discover themselves Advertising

Russian troops in Kherson region face fuel shortages