Analytical Report “How the war is produced: childhood spent in the cadet classes in the TOT of the AR Crimea and the city of Sevastopol”
The cadet movement is one of the tools used by the Russian Federation to influence the minds of children and youth. In the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, Russia uses cadet classes to militarise, indoctrinate and promote service in the armed forces of the Russian Federation, which is a violation of at least Article 51 of the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, Articles 8, 28 and 29 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
By using cadet education in the TOT of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, the Russian Federation is forming a population loyal to Russia, influencing the minds of Ukrainian children, contributing to their Russification and, as a result, the loss of national identity, as well as creating a potential military reserve that could be used in a war against Ukraine.
This report aims to investigate the current state of cadet education in general education institutions in the TOT of Crimea and Sevastopol, its impact on children, and to consider the mechanisms of using this movement to form a Russian personnel reserve from cadet classes, including preparing young people for service in its armed forces.
Research objectives. To identify violations by the Russian Federation, which consist in militarisation and indoctrination of children in the TOT of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol through the cadet component in education, and training of the personnel reserve, including military personnel, from cadet classes.
The analytical report was prepared by the Centre for Civic Education “Almenda” as part of the project “Childhood Unchained: Standing Against Occupation’s Impact.” The project is implemented with the financial support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic as part of the Transition Promotion Programme.
