“Universal Soldier” or Education as the Weapon of Russia in the Occupied South of Ukraine. Monitoring for January-June
The Centre for Civic Education “Almenda” presents a new monitoring report «“Universal Soldier” or Education as the Weapon of Russia in the Occupied South of Ukraine» covering 1 January – 30 June 2025. The report documents Russia’s deliberate policy of militarising children, indoctrinating youth, assimilating populations, and eradicating Ukrainian identity across the temporarily occupied territories of Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, and the city of Sevastopol.
The report details how occupation authorities mobilise children into military and pseudo-military activities, demonstrations featuring drill and tactical training, sessions with military instructors, and drone operation drills. It also records children’s participation in propaganda and ideological events — including those linked to the Russian Orthodox Church, film screenings, historical lectures, and demonstrations in support of the occupying state’s military. Authorities on the TOT furthermore coordinate the evacuation of children to “patriotic” camps in Russia and facilitate public passport issuance to minors.
Purpose – to document crimes of the Russian Federation and counter its spread of disinformation.
The study excludes the temporarily occupied territories of Luhansk and Donetsk.
Monitoring Report prepared by the Almenda Center for Civic Education as part of the project “Defending childhood: justice & reintegration for children from TOT”. 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.
