In Crimea, the occupiers have expanded the network of cadet classes 100-fold

In occupied Crimea, Russian authorities have increased the number of cadet and “Cossack” classes to 381 in 137 schools. A total of 8,516 children are enrolled in these classes. At the same time, militarized programs have begun to be implemented in kindergartens for children aged five and older.

This was reported by Krym.Realii, citing data from the Russian occupation authorities’ so-called Ministry of Education of Crimea and monitoring by the organization “Almenda.”

According to the occupying authorities, cadet and “Cossack” classes are operating in 137 schools across Crimea. Their “sponsors” are Russian law enforcement and military agencies, including the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, the Prosecutor General’s Office, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the FSB Border Guard Service, the Russian Guard, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the Black Sea Fleet, the 126th Coastal Defense Brigade, and the Russian Aerospace Forces. The “Crimean Cossacks” and military-patriotic clubs are also involved.

The number of such classes has increased significantly over the years of occupation. In 2015, there were three classes in three schools in Simferopol, attended by about 90 children. In the 2020–2021 school year, there were 112 such classes; in 2023–2024, there were at least 197. In October 2025, there were 340 classes in 121 schools, with 7,491 children enrolled. By September 2026, the number had risen to 381 classes in 137 schools, with 8,516 cadets.

Thus, over the course of ten years, the number of cadet and “Cossack” classes has increased more than 100-fold compared to 2015, and approximately 3.4-fold since the 2020–2021 school year.

Separately, according to “Almenda,” more than 15,000 children have been recruited intothe Russian“Yunarmiya” movement in Crimea. In 2017, there were about 1,500.

Starting in September 2026, the “Cadets and Cossack Cubs” project was expanded to include preschool institutions. Thirteen kindergartens in Simferopol, Yevpatoria, and Dzhankoy have joined the program, which is designed for children aged five to seven.

Human rights activists and Ukrainian authorities view such programs as part of the systematic militarization of children. According to the Prosecutor’s Office of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol, teaching schoolchildren how to handle weapons and military tactics may constitute a war crime. Oleg Okhredko, an expert at “Almenda,” stated in a comment to Krym.Realii that such a system paves the way from preschool education to subsequent service in the Russian Federation’s armed forces.

Андрій Колісніченко