What does the Year of the Defender of the Fatherland mean for the temporarily occupied territories?
In the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, the Russian Federation continues to implement systematic measures aimed at militarizing children and youth, popularizing the Russian armed forces and justifying the war against Ukraine. With each passing year of the war, the Russian Federation increases its influence on the minds of children and youth. A new stage in achieving this goal will be 2025, which has been declared the Year of the Defender of the Fatherland in Russia in accordance with Presidential Decree No. 28 of 16.01.2025. In this decree, Putin argues that the purpose of the celebration is “to preserve historical memory, to thank veterans and to recognize the feat of the participants in the special military operation.”
What does the Year of the Defender of the Fatherland in Russia mean for the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine?
By incorporating the occupied territories of Ukraine (hereinafter referred to as TOT) in violation of international law, the Russian Federation extended the applicability of all legal acts to TOT. Therefore, the celebration of the Year of the Defender of the Fatherland (i.e., Russia) also extends to all occupied territories. The occupation authorities have not yet published a specific action plan for the implementation of the Russian Presidential Decree No. 28 of January 16, 2025, and, according to them, it is still being developed. However, the portal of the so-called Government of the Republic of Crimea has already published an Action Plan for the implementation in the Republic of Crimea in 2025 of the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of November 9, 2022 No. 809 “On Approval of the Fundamentals of State Policy for the Preservation and Strengthening of Traditional Russian Spiritual and Moral Values”, which includes a number of events dedicated to the “Year of the Defender of the Fatherland”. Among them:
- thematic exhibitions, master classes and other events dedicated to the so-called Day of the Republic of Crimea, the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 and memorable dates of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945;
- Publication of military and patriotic literature;
- Holding a “Day of united actions “Without a statute of limitations”;
- Organizing and conducting all-Russian events “St. George’s Ribbon”, “Wall of Memory”;
- Ensuring the distribution of souvenirs and giveaways to the participants of the events;
- Organizing and conducting quizzes, an interactive game “Lights of Victory”, a historical quest “The Path to Victory”, patriotic events “The Thread of Generations”, “The Story of My Hero”, “The Victory Flag”;
- Creation of museum exhibitions and expositions dedicated to the history of the so-called special military operation on the basis of regional and municipal museums;
- Conducting lessons of courage in general education and professional educational organizations of the TOT of Crimea with the invitation of combat veterans and participants of the so-called special military operation;
- Conducting 3 spiritual and patriotic shifts in children’s health camps;
- Creative contest “We are the heirs of victory!” dedicated to the Victory in the Great Patriotic War.
Hereinafter, the term ‘Great Patriotic War’is used in the literal translation from the document of the occupation authorities. This term is part of the Soviet and contemporary Russian narrative, which aims to enhance the significance of the USSR's ‘liberation mission’ in World War II.
In addition, the Crimean Republican Library has planned events for children aged 12 and older with eloquent titles: “I have the honor to serve Russia”, “In glory of the winners.”
Most of the planned events are aimed at spreading ideological myths, manipulating history, and glorifying the war.
Start of implementation in the TOT of the AR of Crimea
In the TOT of Simferopol, on January 15, 2025, the grand opening of the “Year of the Defender of the Fatherland” took place, accompanied by the unveiling of a patriotic corner dedicated to the so-called special military operation. The event included a lesson of courage called “Time of Heroes” with the participation of Yuriy Nimchenko. By the way, Yuriy Nimchenko is a citizen of Ukraine, served under contract in the Ukrainian army, but in 2014, after the Russian occupation of Crimea, he joined the Russian army. He participated in the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russian troops. In March 2022, Putin awarded him the title of “Hero of Russia”. After that, Nimchenko was included in the list of trusted persons of V. Putin as a candidate in the 2024 presidential elections and became a member of the Kremlin’s “Time of Heroes” personnel program.
"Time of Heroes" is a program developed on the instructions of Russian President Vladimir Putin for participants in the so-called special military operation, after which servicemen are appointed to positions in the civil service and local government (including in the occupation authorities in the TOT).
Yuriy Nimchenko is currently a senator of the Federation Council from Crimea.
“Serving Russia means defending and loving your homeland, being a patriot and working for the good of your country. Love for the Fatherland is an important concept for each of us. You, the younger generation, must keep it in your hearts. To serve Russia is not only honorable, but also responsible! And I am sure that it depends on us, as well as on you, today’s schoolchildren, what Russia will be like tomorrow, and it will be a strong, prosperous country.”
— Yuriy Nimchenko said in his address to the schoolchildren of school №18 of the TOT of the city of Simferopol.
In addition to his words, Nimchenko handed over books about the so-called “heroes of the special military operation” and the heroes of the Great Patriotic War to the students.
“Lessons of courage” in the framework of the “Year of Defenders of the Fatherland” were conducted by another member of the so-called special military operation Anton Starostin, who is an assistant to the so-called Head of the Republic of Crimea and started working in the so-called State Committee for Youth Policy of the Republic of Crimea.
Such meetings are not uncommon, and are held regularly in the educational institutions of the TOT with the involvement of other participants in the war against Ukraine.
Another type of event already being implemented as part of the “Year of the Defender of the Fatherland” is the involvement of children in supporting the fighters of the so-called “special military operation”. Thus, in school No. 8 of the TOT in Feodosia, children made mascots for Russian servicemen, which they painted in the colors of the Russian flag and used the “Z” symbols used by Russian servicemen in the war against Ukraine. The event was held under the guidance of Anna Venediktova, Advisor to the Director for Education.
What is the meaning of the celebration of the anniversary of the “victory in the Great Patriotic War”?
On January 23, 2025, the European Parliament adopted a resolution on Russia’s disinformation and falsification of history to justify its aggressive war against Ukraine. In this document, the Parliament condemns Russia’s systematic attempts to rewrite history and spread false information to legitimize its aggression. At the same time, the Russian Federation is planning to hold such events as part of the “Year of the Defender of the Fatherland” in 2025.
In particular, in the resolution, the European Parliament condemns the systematic falsification of history and the use of distorted historical arguments by the Russian regime to manipulate public opinion in Russia, to persuade it to support criminal acts such as the war of aggression against Ukraine, to weaken international support for Ukraine and to destroy its cultural and historical identity. It also says that Victory Day, celebrated annually on May 9, has been turned by the current Russian regime into a military propaganda tool, using the narrative of “liberation of Europe from Nazism” and ignoring the subsequent Soviet occupation of the Baltic states and the subjugation of Central Europe. This narrative is used to justify Russia’s current aggression against Ukraine.
Therefore, the introduction of the “Year of the Defender of the Fatherland” actually serves as a means of strengthening ideological influence and is a continuation of Russia’s systemic policy of eradicating the Ukrainian identity of children and youth in the TOT.
This article was prepared with the financial support of the Czech organisation People in Need, as part of the SOS Ukraine initiative. The contents of the publication do not necessarily reflect their position.
