“University Sessions” in the TOT of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea: How Russia Continues to Erase the Ukrainian Identity of Our Children
By occupying Ukrainian territories, Russia seeks to form a population loyal to its ideals. Special attention is given to “working” with Ukrainian children, particularly by erasing their Ukrainian identity. One of the tools for such activities is the “University Sessions” project, launched in 2022 by the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation in collaboration with the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, specifically targeting children from the TOT of Ukraine.
What This Project Is and Its True Purpose
The “University Sessions” involve the short-term transfer of senior school-age children from temporarily occupied territories (parts of Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, Luhansk regions, the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, and the city of Sevastopol) to higher education institutions in the Russian Federation, as well as to the TOT of Crimea, under the slogan of ‘career guidance’ among prospective students from the TOT.
In reality, the purpose of the “University Sessions” program is to instill in these children a sense of belonging and patriotism toward the aggressor country, while simultaneously fostering false perceptions of Ukraine as a ‘Nazi’ and ‘hostile’ state. By involving key executors—Russian higher education institutions—the program seeks to encourage Ukrainian children to enroll in these institutions, with the possibility of permanent residence in Russia, leading to a long-term change in the demographic composition of the TOT.
How It All Started with Putin’s Approval
On July 7, 2022, after the first “University Sessions,” a report on the “incredible effect” of the project on children, specifically in the context of “forming Russian identity” (in fact, erasing Ukrainian identity and imposing Russian identity), was presented to the President of the Russian Federation, V. Putin.
Given the so-called ‘successes,’ Putin ordered the continuation and expansion of the project, leading to the involvement of new children from the temporarily occupied territories in 2023 and 2024 and the introduction of a new organizer, the “Movement of the First.”
*Note: For more detailed information on the implementation of the “University Sessions” program in 2022-2023 (target groups, legal basis, funding, involved persons, universities, etc.), refer to the report by CCE “Almenda” – “The “University sessions” program as the instrument for the destruction of Ukrainian identity and the indoctrination of children and youth from the temporarily occupied territories”
Number of Ukrainian Children Involved
During the years of the “University Sessions” program, the following numbers of children were temporarily displaced from the TOT of Ukraine:
- 10,611 children in 2022,
- 10,700 children in 2023,
- Over 12,000 children (together with children from Russian regions) planned for 2024.
The “University Sessions” of 2024 are still ongoing: according to the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, which, together with the “Movement of the First,” is organizing the project in 2024, the sessions will take place from June to October 2024, involving 90 universities “across Russia,” with over 12,000 children from the “new regions of the country” and Belgorod region participating, as well as activists of the “Movement of the First” and children of participants in the so-called SVO (Special Military Operation). As of early July, over 3,000 high school students had already participated.
University Sessions 2024 in the TOT of Crimea: Crimean Children in Russian Universities, Kherson Children in TOT Crimea Universities
According to Yekaterina Arlamenkova, head of the regional branch of the “Movement of the First” in the TOT of Crimea, 20 children from Crimea were selected through a competitive process to participate in the program in 2024, with “17 of them heading to various parts of our homeland (Russia) – from Tambov to Krasnoyarsk, from Moscow to Kabardino-Balkaria for university sessions.”
For example, during the first session of the “National Research Moscow State University of Civil Engineering” for children from the TOT of Crimea, as well as from the TOT of Zaporizhzhia and Luhansk regions, a “patriotic” event titled “We Remember! We Honor! We Are Proud!” and a tour of Red Square were held.
One of the platforms for the “University Sessions” in 2024 was the TOT of Crimea: the project is being implemented by the so-called Crimean Federal University named after V.I. Vernadsky (hereafter referred to as CFU), and the “educational-tourist” program is being conducted in the occupied city of Yevpatoria at the Yuri A. Gagarin children’s health camp.
The program is being implemented for over 170 children from Kherson in two sessions:
- The first session took place from July 17 to 26, with 91 participants.
- The second session took place from July 28 to August 6, with over 80 participants.
The “University Sessions” program at CFU is being implemented in cooperation with the Crimean regional branches of the “Movement of the First” and the “Knowledge” society. On the very first day of the session, children from the TOT of the Kherson region were indoctrinated with the “mission, values, and directions of the ‘Movement of the First’.”
They were also addressed by veterans of the so-called “specaial military operation”, who had undergone “training in public speaking and working with children” and explained the significance of the “specaial military operation” and the “nuances” of military training in “simple language.” According to the so-called director of the CFU’s “Pre-University Center” Vsevolod Tubaltsev, it is crucial for children to communicate with “veterans” as it represents the “continuity” of generations. Such events involving Russian military personnel are designed to glorify them in the eyes of children and justify Russia’s war against Ukraine while blaming it on the Ukrainian side. CFU officials are effectively spreading Russian narratives aimed at rewriting history and altering the cultural identity of Ukrainian children, presenting them as “descendants of Russia.”
It should be noted that V. Putin personally instructed the involvement of participants of the so-called SVO in educational work with children and youth, allocating budget funds for this purpose.
These and other components of the “University Sessions” program constitute violations of international law and must be stopped, with those responsible held accountable. Unfortunately, the project has been functioning since 2022 and continues to involve children from the TOT of Ukraine.
The material 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.
