Occupied Education in Crimea: Who Controls the Indoctrination and Militarisation of Schools
The Russian Federation (hereinafter – Russia or the RF) has been systematically and deliberately implementing its own educational standards in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine (hereinafter – TOT). Education has become one of the key tools used to russify, indoctrinate, and militarise children and young people living under the control of the occupation regime.
Following the occupation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea (hereinafter – the AR of Crimea) and the city of Sevastopol in 2014, Russia began implementing a full reorganisation of the education system in the TOT in line with Russian legislation. This system, often referred to as the “Crimean scenario”, involves not only the full integration of education into Russia’s legal, political, and ideological framework, but also the systematic imposition of Russian identity through so-called “educational” activities, the militarisation of schools, and the eradication of the Ukrainian language and cultural environment.* This approach was later extended to other TOT, including parts of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions.
* More details can be found in the analytical report by the Centre for Civic Education “Almenda”: The «Crimea scenario»: how the Russian Federation is destroying the Ukrainian identity of children in the occupied territories
As of the 2024/2025 academic year,** 282,900 children in TOT of the AR of Crimea and Sevastopol are being educated according to Russian state standards in 608 schools. This year marks the first graduating class of Year 11 pupils who have completed their entire schooling under the Russian system, from Year 1 through to the end of their education. These children began school in September 2014 and have spent 11 years under conditions of systematic eradication of Ukrainian identity, ideological pressure, and pro-Russian patriotic indoctrination.
** Due to limited access to the occupied territories, the statistical information is based on open sources and the actual figures may differ.
This article examines who, at the level of the TOT of the AR of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, is responsible for turning the school education system, both formal and non-formal, into a tool for the deliberate eradication of Ukrainian studies, indoctrination, militarisation, and the promotion of service in the armed forces of the aggressor state.
Education Under Occupation: The Transition of Crimean Schools to Russian Standards
Immediately following the occupation of the AR of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, Russia took control of all state and municipal institutions on the peninsula, including the education system. From that point on, their activities were effectively governed by Russian legislation. In May 2014, the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, signed a law integrating the education systems of the TOT of the AR of Crimea and Sevastopol into the Russian educational framework. Starting from 1 September 2014, schools began teaching according to Russian curricula. This was made possible through the retraining of all schoolteachers in Crimea – one source mentions around 20,000 teachers, while another refers to 22,000 – and the delivery of Russian textbooks for pupils. In total, Russia supplied 2,904,468 textbooks (!) to the occupied peninsula (2,440,586 to the TOT of the AR of Crimea and 463,882 to the TOT of the city of Sevastopol). The full transition of schools to Russian standards was expected to take approximately three years. Irina Manuylova, then head of the United Russia party’s “Education Modernisation” project and Deputy Chair of the State Duma Committee on Education (at that time), announced that the final deadline for this transition was 1 January 2016.[7]
In spring 2014, the so-called “Ministry of Education, Science and Youth of the Republic of Crimea” was established, based in the occupied city of Simferopol, along with the so-called “Main Department of Education and Science of the City of Sevastopol”. On 17 March 2015, this body was renamed the so-called “Department of Education of the City of Sevastopol”, and since 2019, it has operated under the name “Department of Education and Science of the City of Sevastopol”.
Under the full control of these occupation structures, and with the direct involvement of their leadership, the complete integration of schools in the TOT of the AR of Crimea and Sevastopol into the education system of the RF was carried out. Over more than 11 years of occupation, the educational environment has undergone profound transformations, which have had an extremely negative impact on the content of teaching, the organisation of school life, and the shaping of children’s worldview. Amid targeted and systematic russification, the Ukrainian language, culture and national identity have been supressed, Russian education standards imposed, and ideological control and militarisation of the learning process intensified. This policy is being implemented not only through formal education, but also through youth organisations, “patriotic” camps, and non-formal education. More detail can be found in our organisation’s report: “‘Crimean Scenario 2.0’: How the Russian Federation is Eradicating Ukrainian Identity in Children in Occupied Territories”.
“The Face of Education”: Who Runs the Occupation Authorities in the AR of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol
TOT of the AR of Crimea
After the start of Russia’s occupation of Crimea, the peninsula’s education sector came under the leadership of Ukrainian educators who agreed to cooperate with the occupation administration. They were the ones who initiated the systematic dismantling of Ukrainian education, the introduction of Russian curricula, the implementation of military training in schools, and facilitated the transfer of Ukrainian children from other TOT to occupied Crimea. This refers to Natalia Goncharova and Valentina Lavrik – the so-called “Ministers of Education” in the TOT of the AR of Crimea. These two figures became key agents in carrying out the educational occupation of the AR of Crimea.
Natalia Goncharova (2014–2019)
Natalia Goncharova, born in 1970 in Zhytomyr region, holds higher education degrees in geography (Simferopol State University, 1994) and law (Kyiv National University of Trade and Economics, 2009).
She worked in educational institutions in Kyiv and the AR of Crimea, including as a geography teacher and deputy headteacher in schools. From December 2012 until the Russian occupation of Crimea, she served as Minister of Education, Science, Youth and Sports of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.
Immediately after the occupation began, Goncharova agreed to collaborate with the Russian administration and took charge of the so-called “Ministry of Education, Science and Youth of the Republic of Crimea”, which she headed until November 2019. Following her dismissal from the “ministry”, she has continued to serve as head of the “Crimean Spring” Lyceum in Simferopol district. She has received awards from the occupation authorities, including the “For Valorous Labour” medal (2015)[5] and the honorary title “Honoured Worker of General Education of the Russian Federation” (2015).
In the photo: N. Goncharova reporting on the results of her work to the so-called “Head of the Republic of Crimea”, S. Aksyonov, January 2017. Source: https://glava.rk.gov.ru/articles/99b7f5f5-7cb6-4fcf-81d0-e3d0e7a6b077?ysclid=mayztwqimt10182321, archive https://archive.ph/wip/QL1nD
In the role of so-called “Minister”, Natalia Goncharova:
- coordinated the replacement of Ukrainian textbooks with Russian ones and implemented the norms of the occupation “legislation” in the education system;
- banned the teaching of Ukrainian history and switched school grading to the Russian five-point system;
- oversaw the elimination of Ukrainian-language education. Before the occupation of Crimea, 100% of children studied Ukrainian language and literature as part of the school curriculum. There were 7 schools on the peninsula where instruction was conducted in Ukrainian, another 76 schools offered both Ukrainian and Russian, and there were 829 Ukrainian-language classes in total. By the end of Goncharova’s term (2018/2019 academic year), only 1 school (with 9 classes) remained with Ukrainian as the language of instruction, along with 8 Ukrainian-language classes across 5 other schools.
Back in 2015, in one interview, Goncharova acknowledged that there were no longer any Ukrainian schools in Crimea – only individual classes with Ukrainian-language instruction remained, and in “many schools across the republic, Ukrainian is taught as an optional subject”. This contradiction between the then “minister’s” statements and later published data likely indicates that Ukrainian-language education had been reduced to a mere formality – existing only on paper. The formal preservation of such Ukrainian-language elements appears to be a tool to deflect criticism and pressure from international organisations and to mask the deliberate policy of eradicating all Ukrainian elements from the educational space of occupied Crimea. - effectively forced school leavers in the TOT of Crimea to obtain Russian passports as a condition for being allowed to sit exams and apply to higher education institutions. Children holding Ukrainian passports were technically permitted to take exams and enrol, but only as foreign nationals – a status that created additional barriers and placed them in a discriminatory position.
- is involved in the transfer of children from the TOT of Donetsk and Luhansk regions to Crimea.
According to her, a key “achievement” was that “teachers transitioned into the Russian educational sphere without disrupting the system”.
In November 2024, Goncharova was officially charged under Article 111, Part 1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine – high treason. She has been subject to Ukrainian sanctions since 2018.
Valentina Lavrik was born on 25 February 1969 in the village of Khomenki, Sharhorod district, Vinnytsia region. In 1995, she graduated from Simferopol State University with a degree in Ukrainian language teaching.
Until 2014, she worked in educational institutions in Crimea, including as a Ukrainian language teacher and in various administrative roles. In April 2014, after the then-head of the Ukrainian School-Gymnasium in Simferopol was pressured by the “Crimean Self-Defence” forces, Lavrik was appointed as head of the school, which by that time had been renamed by the occupation administration as the “Simferopol Academic Gymnasium”. She held this position until 2019, and in December of that year was appointed as the so-called “Minister of Education, Science and Youth of the Republic of Crimea”. In 2024, she was reappointed to the same post.[3] She is also a member of the supervisory board of the Crimean branch of the propaganda organisation “Znanie” (“Knowledge”).
Like her predecessor, Lavrik has received awards from the occupation authorities, including: a Commendation from the State Council of the Republic of Crimea (2015), the “For Valorous Labour” medal (2018), and the honorary title “Honoured Worker of Education of the Russian Federation” (2023). Her “work” has also been recognised with a Commendation from the President of the Russian Federation (2023) and an Honorary Certificate from the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation (2023).
Under Lavrik’s leadership, the education system in the TOT of the AR of Crimea has been fully transformed into a tool of militarisation and ideological indoctrination of children. Her “successes” in this area are reflected in the abovementioned award from the Russian Ministry of Defence.
While serving as the so-called “Minister of Education”, Lavrik has particularly “distinguished” herself by the following:
- introduced elements of military training in schools through the “Initial Military Preparation” programme. The “ministry” she heads also supports various militaristic competitions and games for schoolchildren. With the backing of the occupation education ministry, the game “Zarnitsa 2.0”*** is organised by Russian youth movements such as “Young Army” and “Movement of the First”. At the opening of the regional stage of “Zarnitsa 2.0” in 2025, Lavrik emphasised that the “ministry” devotes considerable attention to sport and patriotic education, stating that every child should be a patriot of their “Motherland” (i.e. Russia) and know how to defend it.
*** More about “Zarnitsa 2.0” game can be found in the article by the CCE “Almenda” – Zarnitsa 2.0 Game: Military Training for Children in the TOT
In the photo: V. Lavrik at the regional stage of the “Zarnitsa 2.0” game with the head of the Crimean branch of “Young Army”, S. Gavrylchuk, May 2025. Source: https://vk.com/wall569927041_3642, archive https://archive.ph/VLTL2
In the photo: children taking part in the regional stage of the “Zarnitsa 2.0” game, May 2025. Source: https://vk.com/wall569927041_3642, archive https://archive.ph/VLTL2
Overall, the number of cadet classes in the TOT of the AR of Crimea has increased from 12 in the 2016/2017 academic year to 260 in 2024/2025, indicating a systematic militarisation of the educational space. In addition, Lavrik personally emphasises the priority and importance of so-called patriotic (i.e. pro-Russian) education for pupils, including through the cadet component within the schooling system.
- during Lavrik’s tenure, history lessons for Years 10–11 in schools across the TOT of the AR of Crimea have, since the 2023/2024 academic year, been taught using a “unified history textbook” (this refers to the textbooks History of Russia (Year 10), World History (Year 10), History of Russia (Year 11), and World History (Year 11), authored by V. Medinsky and A. Torkunov.), which in practice serves as a manual of Russian propaganda. It promotes anti-Ukrainian and blatantly false narratives, including claims such as the existence of “American biolaboratories” in Ukraine; that Ukrainians were supposedly invented by the Austrian General Staff in the 19th century to divide the “united Russian people”; and that the transfer of Crimea to Ukraine was “illegal” and done on Khrushchev’s “personal initiative”. The textbook openly distorts history and is aimed at indoctrinating schoolchildren.
In the photo: a double-page spread from a history “textbook” dedicated to participants of the so-called “SVO”.Source: https://rk.gov.ru/articles/c1e3cf79-f874-423d-88f8-b90d7f2e2460, archive: https://archive.ph/b0qF8
The occupation authorities purchased 34,361 copies of these textbooks.
- glorification of war and participants of the so-called “Special Military Operation” (“SVO”). In particular, the so-called “Ministry of Education”, together with the “Childhood Navigators” project, organised a series of events entitled “Talking with a Hero” for Russia’s Defender of the Fatherland Day. These were meetings between pupils and Russian servicemen, who spoke about combat operations in Ukraine, “patriotism”, and the importance of serving in the Russian army. In February 2025 alone, at least 22 such events were held involving 35 participants of the so-called “SVO”.
In the photo: children meeting with a commander of a unit from the 24th Motor Rifle Regiment of the Russian Federation, Stepanivka School, Pervomaiske district (TOT of the AR of Crimea), March 2025. Source:https://t.me/minobrKrima/10855, archive https://archive.ph/zAaZN
Such events shape a positive image of the Russian army in the minds of children, justify the war launched by Russia against Ukraine, and prepare school children for potential participation in it. Education is being turned into a tool for fostering loyalty to the Russian armed forces and support for military aggression.
As of the 2024/2025 academic year, the occupation “ministry” headed by Valentina Lavrik claims that 164 pupils are receiving instruction in Ukrainian (0.07%) and that 1,249 children are allegedly studying Ukrainian as their native language (0.5%). However, even these negligible figures are questionable given the systematic removal of Ukrainian from the educational process in the TOT of the AR of Crimea, the lack of transparency, and the occupation authorities’ frequent manipulation of data.
In 2025, Lavrik was officially charged under Article 111, Part 1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (high treason) and Article 111-1, Part 5 (collaborationist activity). Her name has been included in the sanctions lists of Canada, the EU, Switzerland, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand.
In addition, one of Lavrik’s deputies, Svetlana Bespalova, was sentenced in absentia on 6 February 2025 to eight years in prison for collaborationist activity.
TOT of the city of Sevastopol
Unlike the TOT of the AR of Crimea, where only two so-called “Ministers of Education” have held office during the occupation, the leadership of the occupation education authority in the TOT of Sevastopol has changed quite frequently. At various times, the position has been held by Viktor Oganesyan, Mikhail Rodikov, Igor Belozyorov, and Larisa Sulima.
In summer 2024, Maksim Krivonos was appointed as the so-called “Director of the Department of Education and Science of the City of Sevastopol”, having previously served as acting director in the same role.
Maksim Krivonos was born in 1982 in the city of Krasnodar, Krasnodar Krai, Russian Federation. He studied at higher education institutions in Russia, graduating from the South-Russian State Technical University with a degree in “Management and Informatics in Technical Systems” and from Kuban State University with a degree in Economics. He worked for nearly 14 years in Krasnodar Krai, mostly in managerial positions. In 2019, he was appointed Deputy Director for Economics and Finance at the Artek International Children’s Centre (TOT of the AR of Crimea) – one of the key platforms for Russian ideological influence over children on the occupied peninsula.
In 2021, Krivonos joined the so-called “Department of Education and Science of Sevastopol” – initially as “First Deputy Director”, and later as “Acting Director”. By summer 2024, he was appointed head of the occupation authority as “Director”. Under Krivonos’s leadership, the “department” has continued implementing Russian educational standards and actively advancing the militarisation and ideological indoctrination of children. Military field training exercises were organised for Year 10 pupils and college students in the TOT of Sevastopol. Teenagers were involved in sessions on tactical, firearms, and drill training, the study of general military regulations, and the basics of chemical and biological protection. The training was conducted by participants of the so-called “SVO”, officers from the Black Sea Higher Naval School, and representatives of DOSAAF – a state-supported Russian organisation responsible for military and technical training. Children were actively exposed to the narrative that defending the “Fatherland” – meaning Russia – is a “sacred duty” of every citizen. Krivonos himself stated that, following such activities, “some children might choose a military career”. These militaristic training camps have a profound impact on children’s minds: Russian servicemen are portrayed as heroes and role models, and fighting in a war for the aggressor state is presented as an honourable andeven desirable path.
In the photo: five-day training camp for Year 10 pupils and first-year students of secondary vocational institutions, TOT of Sevastopol. Source: https://t.me/maksimkrivonos/1372, archive https://archive.is/wip/IvDLA
In his public statements, he regularly emphasises the importance of studying the so-called “SVO” and the “Crimean Spring” (“Crimean Spring” is a term used by the Russian Federation to refer to the occupation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea), thereby promoting narratives that legitimise the Russian Federation’s aggression against Ukraine. Krivonos also personally inaugurated a “Hero’s Desk” at School No. 6 in occupied Sevastopol in honour of a participant in the so-called “SVO”.
In the photo: inauguration of the “Hero’s Desk” at Sevastopol School No. 6 with the participation of M. Krivonos, January 2025. Source: https://vk.com/sevobrazovanie?w=wall-177557250_30102, arvhive https://archive.ph/wip/QskLx
In addition, the so-called “Department of Education and Science of the City of Sevastopol” actively cooperates with the “Defenders of the Fatherland” foundation, which over the course of a year deployed 3,500 veterans of the so-called “SVO” to schools.[1] Krivonos also held public outreach sessions at the foundation, meeting with relatives of servicemen seeking educational support.
Thus, the Russian education system in occupied Crimea serves not merely an instructional purpose – it functions as a powerful tool of ideological influence. Through the school system, a new type of “citizen of the Russian Federation” is being shaped – one who is controlled and disconnected from the Ukrainian language, culture, and identity. And at the heart of this policy are the occupation education authorities and their leadership, who deliberately enforce Russian standards, eliminate the Ukrainian component, impose military-patriotic upbringing on children, and turn schools into a tool for preparing a younger generation loyal to the aggressor state.
The article was prepared by the Centre of civil education “Almenda” as part of the project “Protecting Childhood: Justice and Reintegration for Children from the Temporarily Occupied Territories.”
The project is implemented with the financial support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic within the framework of the Transition Promotion Program.
The views expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not reflect the official position of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic.
