Parades, flags and songs: The campaign to force Ukrainian children to love Russia

Being taught to emotion Russia starts aboriginal for children successful occupied areas of eastbound Ukraine.

At a nursery schoolhouse successful Luhansk, much than 70 youngsters enactment up holding a agelong achromatic and orangish Russian subject banner successful the signifier of a missive Z, the awesome of Russia's penetration of Ukraine.

Across the city, 7 small girls leap up and down and motion successful beforehand of a Russian emblem to the brash opus "I americium Russian" that blares retired of loudspeakers. When the euphony stops they outcry retired together: "I'm Russian."

In an occupied municipality called Anthracite, nursery schoolhouse children person made trench candles and blankets for Russian soldiers.

It is each portion of a run that seeks not lone to erase Ukraine's nationalist identity, but besides crook young Ukrainians against their ain country.

To bash that with children you request teachers, and arsenic galore Ukrainian teachers person fled, the authorities successful Moscow has begun offering lump-sums of 2m roubles (£18,500) to Russian teaching unit consenting to relocate to occupied parts of Ukraine.

The biggest and astir almighty Russian organisation progressive with children is Yunarmia (Youth Army).

Affiliated with the Russian defence ministry, it accepts members arsenic young arsenic eight. It operates crossed each of Russia, and present has branches successful occupied areas of Ukraine.

"We're providing children with immoderate basal skills which they'll find utile should they determine to articulation subject service," says Fidail Bikbulatov, who runs Yunarmia's conception successful occupied areas of the Zaporizhzhia portion successful south-east Ukraine.

Bikbulatov was deployed from Russia's Bashkortostan, wherever helium headed the "Youth Guard" part of the ruling United Russia party.

The EU has sanctioned Yunarmia, and Bikbulatov personally, for "the militarisation of Ukrainian children". Yunarmia is besides targeted by UK sanctions for being portion of Russia's run of "brainwashing" Ukrainian children.

Yunarmia is not alone. Other Russian state-sponsored organisations that person moved successful see "Movement of the First Ones" and "Warrior", a web of centres for "the subject and diversion training, and patriotic acquisition of young people" acceptable up connected Russian President Vladimir Putin's orders.

These groups organise competitions specified arsenic Zarnitsa games rooted successful the Soviet era, wherever Ukrainian children are required to show "general subject literacy, cognition of Russian statehood and subject history, firearms firing skills".

As the children advancement done the acquisition system, they are taught successful Russian, utilizing the Russian program and textbooks that warrant Russia's warfare against Ukraine.

One specified publication portrays Ukraine arsenic small much than a Western invention created to spite Russia, and argues that quality civilisation would person perchance ended had Russia not invaded Ukraine successful 2022.

Lisa, who attended a schoolhouse successful occupied Donetsk, says students determination were forced to instrumentality portion successful events celebrating Russia and the USSR.

"When they were preparing a parade of immoderate sort, I, the full of my people and the full of my twelvemonth were forced to be each play and train. We had to clasp posters. I could not accidental no, it wasn't my choice. I was told I had to bash it to graduate," Lisa says.

"Every clip lessons started, our teacher made america basal up, enactment a manus connected our hearts and perceive to the Russian anthem, which she made america larn by heart, too."

Lisa present lives successful the US and has been posting astir her experiences connected TikTok.

Serving Russian soldiers besides play a relation successful the run of indoctrination, visiting schools to springiness alleged "bravery lessons". They glorify their exploits astatine warfare and picture Ukrainian forces arsenic violent, unruly neo-Nazis.

Pavel Tropkin, an authoritative from the ruling United Russia enactment present based successful the occupied portion of Kherson region, says these lessons are held "so that children recognize the objectives" of what the Kremlin calls "the peculiar subject operation" successful Ukraine.

Outside school, Ukrainian children are taken to spot specially organised exhibitions glorifying Russia and the "special subject operation".

One centre catering for specified trips is hosting exhibitions called "Russia - My History" and "Special Military Operation Heroes" successful Melitopol successful Zaporizhzhia region.

The trips bash not halt there.

The Kremlin has besides launched a large run to instrumentality Ukrainian children connected tours of Russia arsenic portion of efforts to instil pro-Russian sentiments.

Russia's civilization curate Olga Lyubimova claims that much than 20,000 children from occupied Ukrainian territories person been taken to Russia nether 1 programme alone, called "4+85". According to the Russian government's performance bureau Rosconcert, which runs the programme, it seeks to "integrate the caller procreation into a unified Russian society".

However, Russia's "integration" run goes acold beyond indoctrination.

Thousands of Ukrainian children taken to Russia during the 3 years of the full-scale penetration person not been allowed to return.

According to the Ukrainian government, much than 19,000 Ukrainian children person been forcibly deported to Russia. The UK authorities estimates that immoderate 6,000 Ukrainian children person been relocated to a web of "re-education camps" successful Russia.

International humanitarian instrumentality bans activities similar this. For example, the Fourth Geneva Convention says that an occupying powerfulness whitethorn not enlist children "in formations oregon organizations subordinate to it" and that it whitethorn use "no unit oregon propaganda which aims astatine securing voluntary enlistment" of locals successful occupied areas into its equipped oregon auxiliary forces.

In 2023, the ICC issued an apprehension warrant for President Putin, successful portion for the unlawful deportation of children. Putin and his authorities contradict the charges.

Waging its warfare connected Ukraine, Russia is not lone aft territory. It is besides trying to enactment its stamp connected the radical who unrecorded there, nary substance however young they are.