Russian youth policy: “Movement of the First”
The youth in occupation becomes one of the key population groups which is influenced and manipulated by the occupation authorities. It is the young generation that forms the basis of future society; therefore, its mindset, identity and loyalty are priority objects for occupation control. Keeping this in mind, the Russian Federation (hereinafter – RF or Russia) actively uses youth policy as an instrument of erasing the Ukrainian identity of young people in the temporarily occupied territories (hereinafter – TOT), for their further integration into the Russian society.
In Russia, the Federal executive body directly responsible for implementing the state youth policy is the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs (hereinafter – Rosmolodyozh), subordinate to the government. At the regional level, including the TOT, similar functions are carried out by relevant authorities: ministries, committees or departments (for example, the so-called “ministry of youth policy of Zaporizhzhia region“).
It is worth noting that the implementation of youth policy is not limited to the activities of Rosmolodyozh and occupation “youth departments” alone. A significant role in this process is played by other Russian state structures, such as the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, as well as respective regional ministries. Not to forget various youth organizations – “Young army”, “Movement of the First”, “Young Guard” and others, which have expanded their activities in the TOT in the short term, currently performing tasks related to the youth sphere.
Such cooperation of different structures, which not only implement propaganda but also manage, coordinate and fund this process, enables Russian authorities to create an integrated system aimed at indoctrinating youth in the TOT.
Read the Report of CCE “Almenda” to learn more about the violations committed by Russia in the TOT within implementing its youth policy.
This article will focus on the all-Russian public state movement of children and youth “Movement of the First” (hereinafter – “Movement of the First” or the movement), which is the largest children and youth organization in the RF. It also operates in the occupied territories and is actually based on the model of the Soviet Pioneer movement.
Our organization had already spread information about the activities of this children and youth unit. For example, in 2023 we published a report and an article which highlighted the movement’s creation, its structure and funding, statistics on its open branches and members, as well as events held at that time. One should not think that the movement’s activities have reached their peak and then gradually come to naught. On the contrary, the movement continues to grow, covering more and more children and young people, including those in the TOT, increasing the number of branches and scaling up propagandist events.
Launch in the TOT and statistics on members
“Movement of the First” operates in accordance with the Federal law “On Russian movement of children and youth” and is directly related to the youth policy in the TOT. Its membership provides for shaping the mindset of children and youth based on the “traditional Russian spiritual and moral values”, as well as cultivating love and respect for “homeland” (note. – RF), growing the feeling of personal responsibility for the “homeland’s” and one’s own fate, striving for self-realization in Russia, developing Russian society and state. The USA, Canada, Switzerland and the EU have included the movement in their sanction lists for its illegal activities, related to the military-patriotic education of children and youth in the TOT.
The establishment of the “Movement of the First” is closely connected with the TOT. According to the Russian pro-government version, the movement’s initiator is Diana Krasovska from Luhansk who then lived in the city of Sevastopol. Moreover, the first movement’s branches were opened in the TOT and not elsewhere: in the International Children’s Center “Artek” in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, and also in the School No. 1 and in the Medical College in Henichesk, Kherson region. The opening ceremony in the TOT of Kherson region was attended by the Minister of Education of the Russian Federation Sergey Kravtsov.
Making the TOT a starting point for the activities of the “Movement of the First” is no coincidence. This choice has a deep symbolic meaning, intended to show that these territories are an inherent part of Russia and occupy an important position in its future. When high-ranking officials like Kravtsov attend the opening ceremonies of the movement branches, this effect is additionally strengthened. Such “primacy” may also give a false impression of “special status and priority for the Russian authorities” to the people in the TOT, including local youth.
Number of enrolled members in the TOT (information from open sources, the real number of members of the “Movement of the First” could be different):
- Autonomous Republic of Crimea: over 13 000
- the city of Sevastopol: over 10 000
- Zaporizhzhia region: 4 215
- Donetsk region: over 16 000
- Kherson region: 2000
- Luhansk region: over 21 500
At first the movement’s activities were mostly targeted at school children, while the membership age was limited to 18 years. However, from January 2024, the “Movement of the First” can be joined by young people up to 25 years old, including those living in the TOT. This change testifies to the Russian Federation’s striving to reach a broader audience, covering the students of higher-education institutions, with the purpose of their indoctrination and militarization. By the end of 2024 the “Movement of the First” had already had over 8,5 million members (note. – the whole Russian territory and the TOT). What is more, the number of members had almost doubled in one year, which demonstrates the successful fulfillment of the plan on extending outreach.
Аrthur Orlov: new “head” of the movement
The executive body of the “Movement of the First” comprises only one official – Chairman of the Board who manages the current affairs of the organization and acts on its behalf without power of attorney. Since December 2022, this position had been occupied by Grigory Gurov, well familiar with the youth policy sphere: from May 19, 2020 until August 17, 2021 he had been the Deputy Chairman of Rosmolodyozh, from August 17, 2021 and till his appointment as head of the “Movement of the First” – Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, led by Valery Falkov. Gurov is under the sanctions of the USA, the EU, Ukraine and Switzerland.
In one month (from August till September 2024) Russia lived through changes and reshuffles in the management of the structures, responsible for the youth policy implementation. On August 14, Ksenia Razuvaeva, who had previously been the head of Rosmolodyozh for more than 3 years, was dismissed. Exactly a month later (on September 14), the news spread about appointing Grigory Gurov as head of the Rosmolodyozh, while the vacant position of the head of the “Movement of the First” was filled by the participant of the so-called “special military operation” (hereinafter – “SMO”) Arthur Orlov, appointed by the decree of the Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Arthur Orlov: who is he?
On Putin’s initiative, an active campaign has been conducted in order to integrate the participants in the war against Ukraine into the Russian political and social environment, youth activities in particular. One of the instruments of this policy is the program “Time of Heroes”, called to adapt “veterans” to civil service and boost their influence on society. On February 29, 2024, the program’s start was announced by Putin during his address to the Federal Assembly.
“[…] They (note. – participants of the so-called “SMO”) are the very ones who should hold leadership positions in the education system – in general and for youth, in public organizations, state-owned enterprises, business, public administration on the state and municipal level; they should be in charge of regions, companies and after all, in the largest national projects. […] I will repeat that the true, real elite are all those who serve Russia, those labourers and warriors, reliable and worthy, having proven their loyalty to Russia by deed.
In this regard, I announce a new decision, as I believe, an important one: starting tomorrow, from March 1, 2024, the veterans of the “SMO”, as well as soldiers and officers who are now fighting in active military units, will be able to apply for participation in the first study group of a special recruitment program. It will he called “Time of Heroes” […]”
(note. — editorial translation) — direct speech of the Russian President Vladimir Putin.
This program was joined by the future head of the “Movement of the First” Arthur Orlov — a former participant in the war against Ukraine and in Russian military operations in Syria.
Biographical information
Arthur Orlov, Russian military serviceman, born in 1989 in the village of Kizner (the Udmurt Republic, Russia).
In senior high school he studied in a cadet class. Graduate of Kazan Higher Tank Command School; after graduation he served in one of Russian military units and in 2016 was sent to the Syrian war. Participant of the so-called “SMO”: Orlov commanded a tank battalion of the 90th Guards Tank Division of the Central Military Disctrict.
Awards and honours of Orlov:
- Guard Major. Awarded 2 Orders of Courage and medals, including the medal of Suvorov.
- “For courage and heroism displayed in the line of military duty”, that is, for storming the positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Popasnyansky district of Luhansk region, Orlov was awarded the title of “Hero of the Russian Federation” with a special distinction – the Gold Star medal. On October 21, 2022, Sergey Shoigu, Russian Minister of Defense of that time, presented the award to the “hero”.
During the selection for the program “Time of Heroes”, Orlov said that the issue of youth policy and patriotic education require special attention from the state.
“The generation I would really like to work with is the younger one. On one side, this is a very rewarding job – they are so nice to work with, especially primary pupils. When you start a conversation with them, they ask really deep questions. And well, of course, senior high schoolchildren and students who have almost reached the finish line are in dire need of the examples of patriotism and care for our country”, –
– he said.
Since September 2024, as head of the movement, Orlov has been practically demonstrating to children and youth how to love Russia in the “proper” way.
“Heroes” on parade with Putin
The 2024 Moscow “Victory Day Parade” symbolised the uplift of the so-called “SMO” participants, whom Russia aspires to present as “Homeland defenders”. The Parade was attended by the Russian President Vladimir Putin in person, surrounded by the “heroes of Russia” – Rail Gabdrahmanov, Vladislav Golovin (participant of the program “Time of Heroes” who became the head of “Young Army” on December 24, 2024) and Arthur Orlov.
According to “The Insider”, the subordinates of all these three figures were implicated in war crimes in Ukraine. For instance, in Autumn 2022, Ukrainian law enforcement agencies accused two servicemen of the unit commanded by Orlov of having raped a pregnant woman during the occupation of Kyiv region, resulting in the loss of the child. Other crimes committed by Orlov’s subordinates include torture and killings of civilians. Although Arthur Orlov personally is not mentioned in these accusations, the international humanitarian law has a principle of command responsibility, contained in the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and in the Rome Statute of the ICC. In agreement with this principle, military commanders can be held liable if: (1) they knew or should have known that the crime would be committed by their subordinates, (2) they failed in their duty by doing nothing to prevent the crime or punish the guilty. So if it is proven that Orlov knew about the above-mentioned war crimes but did not take any measures to prevent them or to punish the guilty, he can also be brought to justice as a war criminal.
It is worth pointing out that the RF authorities not only ignore the facts of war crimes committed by Russian military personnel participating in the war against Ukraine, but also encourage the criminals: Orlov was awarded the title of “Hero of the Russian Federation” and was later appointed as head of the “Movement of the First”.
In 2023, the EU imposed sanctions against Colonel Ramil Ibatullin, commander of the division including the battalion under Orlov, for the fact that his subordinates “committed acts of sexual and gender-based violence against Ukrainian civilians”, namely “gang rapes”, “rape of a pregnant woman” in Kyiv region, “murder of a civilian after repeatedly raping his wife in the presence of their little child”. In spite of the publicity this story had received, the Russian Ministry of Defence promoted Ibatullin to the rank of colonel.
While Russia gives no legal reaction to the war crimes committed by the subordinates of Ibatullin and Orlov, it legitimizes violence against civilians. Besides, Russian authorities openly glorify killings and rapes of Ukrainian civilians, turning criminals into “heroes” for the new generation.
Activities of Orlov as head of the movement are related to the TOT
Soon after being appointed as head of the “Movement of the First”, Orlov started actively visiting the TOT including Donetsk and Luhansk regions, where he met with local young people. Among other activities, together with the head of Rosmolodyozh Grigory Gurov and the so-called “acting minister of youth policy of the Donetsk People’s Republic” Kirill Makarov, he met the members of the regional branch of the “Movement of the First”. In September 2024, he also attended the final of the “Big Change” in the TOT of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, where he was engaged in awarding the winners of the competition. During the “gala” ceremony, young people were involved in unfurling huge cloth of the Russian flag. At the same time, speeches were made about “love for Homeland (note. – Russia), respect for its history and traditions”. Altogether, “Big Change” is the most large-scale project of the “Movement of the First” – in 5 seasons 6 million children and young people, including those from the TOT, became its participants.
Another big project of the “Movement of the First” is the militarist game “Zarnitsa 2.0” (note. – “heat lightning” from Russian), intended for acquiring basic military skills and knowledge of how to act in emergency situations. It has been “played” by about 800 thousand children and young people from all over Russia, including the TOT, whereas participants or veterans of the so-called “SMO” have often become the mentors in this game. Set in Volgograd region of the RF in September 2024, the final of “Zarnitsa 2.0” fell on Orlov’s tenure and reached 600 participants. Among others, the teams from the TOT of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea (in the photo below) and Zaporizhzhia region took “prize-winning” places.
During the final trials, the teams demonstrated skills of providing first aid in the field; sappers practiced skills of laying minefields and demining the territory; UAV operators mastered the efficient control of unmanned aerial vehicles and learned how to counter the UAVs’ threats. Topographers competed in orienteering and artillery fire adjustment, while war correspondents – in creating “reliable pieces of information in combat” along with political commissars who also learned how to guarantee information security and deal with the current threats in cyberspace. Therefore, the program of “Zarnitsa 2.0” provides the youth with full-fledged preparation for combat, including thorough practice of technical and tactical skills. And the young generation which participates in these activities turns into the potential Russian mobilization reserve.
In his Telegram channel, Arthur Orlov supported Igor Kostyuk from Mariupol (note. – according to Orlov) who painted over the “disgraceful street art in his hometown” – for instance, the image of the Ukrainian flag. The head of the “Movement of the First” expressed pride in this young man, calling his behaviour an “example” for youth.
Additional concern is caused by the fact that Orlov has been involved in sport events such as the hockey match on Red Square in Moscow with the participation of young athletes from the TOT of Donetsk, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia regions. It seems as though the “Movement of the First” uses sport for glorifying the Russian ‘victory” and instilling the sense of belonging to this “invincible” state in the youth.
Appointing figures like Orlov to leading positions in the youth policy institutions makes part of the Kremlin plan on glorifying the participants of the so-called “SMO” and the Russian war against Ukraine. These actions, along with all the indoctrination and militarization activities of the “Movement of the first”, violate the rights of the Ukrainian youth influenced by propaganda in the occupied territories. The main question is whether Russia, in the person of its institutions and officials such as Arthur Orlov, will be held accountable?
The article was prepared by the Center for Civic Education “Almenda” within the framework of the project “Russian Youth Policy as an Instrument of Indoctrination and Militarization of Children”. The content of this document is the sole responsibility of the Public Organization “Center for Civic Education “Almenda” and does not necessarily reflect the position of Civil Rights Defenders.
