Forced Patriotism: Ukrainian Students in Crimea Coerced by Occupiers

In the annexed Crimea, female students are being forced to participate in a "patriotic action" in support of the Russian occupation forces.

According to activists of the Yellow Ribbon movement, the Crimean branch of the Russian State University of Justice ordered the girls to make valentines for the Russian military.

Moreover, the students are offered to leave their contacts on the cards - under the pretext that "real heroes" are better than local Crimeans, who mostly have a negative attitude towards the occupation authorities.

In addition, the movement's activists today pasted patriotic ribbons in the occupied city of Henichesk to remind them that the city is Ukrainian.

Photo: Yellow Ribbon

Earlier, Intent wrote how in Crimea the occupiers force schoolchildren to make parts for weapons.

In addition, schoolchildren are involved in weaving camouflage nets and making trench candles for the Russian occupiers. According to the "director" of the school, Dmytro Provedion, the "volunteer division" in the educational institution functions in accordance with an "agreement" with one of the occupation military units in Simferopol.

In the temporarily occupied territories, the invaders are also creating engineering classes to teach teenagers how to assemble drones for the needs of the Russian army. The classes are being opened with the support of the occupation administrations, including the so-called ministries of education. The Russians have already approved a program to expand the network of these classes by 2030.

In addition, in the annexed Crimea, children in the Russian-occupiedArtek recreation center are forced to spend at least six hours a week producing aid for the Russian army. The children have to assemble drones, weave camouflage nets, make trench candles and raise money for medicines.

Earlier, the lawyer of the Regional Center for Human Rights Kateryna Rashevska 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."

Андрій Колісніченко