Militarization of Children in Occupied Territories: A New Level of Concern

Russia is ramping up efforts to militarize children in the temporarily occupied regions of Ukraine, using local schools as platforms for combat training and ideological indoctrination, warns Vira Yastreboha, Executive Director of the Eastern Human Rights Group.

The Gaze reports on this with reference to FREEDOM.

Yastrebtseva highlighted the Kremlin's strategy to train children whose parents have died in the conflict, focusing particularly on instilling military loyalty and combat skills. “The aim is not just to foster allegiance to the military or romanticize warfare; it’s crucial to equip these children with actual combat skills, which is precisely what the Russians are doing, reinforced with ideological components,” she explained.

According to Yastrebtseva, Russia's primary objective is to cultivate future soldiers from among the youth. “For the Kremlin, this is a key task – preparing for the next phase of conflict. They recognize that sustaining the war will require more than just financial resources, especially given sanctions and internal political crises affecting the economy,” she stated.

Currently, Russian schools operating in these occupied territories are introducing military-related subjects starting from the 8th grade, with plans to extend this curriculum to first graders in the upcoming school year. “Over a decade of education, children will be groomed to serve as conscript soldiers. This allows the Russian Federation to save time and transform both boys and girls into soldiers,” Yastrebtseva noted. Additionally, the curriculum includes numerous extracurricular activities and mandatory classes that distort historical contexts.

In related developments, the Russian organization "Yunarmiya" is set to receive a record budget of one billion rubles dedicated to military propaganda aimed at children, marking the largest allocation since the beginning of the military invasion of Ukraine.

This military education is coupled with curriculum designed to distort historical narratives and promote anti-Western sentiment. The latest materials, she noted, increasingly portray Western countries – particularly Germany and France – as enemies. Drone training sessions reportedly use maps resembling the outlines of Baltic nations.

“Russia is realigning its ideological focus from Ukraine to the West,” Yastreboha said. “While there is less emphasis on the U.S. now, the overall narrative continues to target Western democracies.”

These revelations follow reports that Russia’s Yunarmiya youth movement is receiving a record 1 billion rubles to intensify military propaganda aimed at children.

Read more: Why Russia May Advance Further Into Europe If Not Stopped