INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
He stands in a school assembly hall in the Russian-occupied Kherson region
The dog obeys, and the children laugh.The session is part of a professional training program run by the Russian National Guard, or
Rosgvardia, held in schools in the occupied Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions of Ukraine.In addition to the service dog,
officers showed students equipment, demonstrated tactical medicine and displayed a reconnaissance drone in action.Since late February,
Russian security forces have increasingly visited schools and colleges in the occupied territories of Ukraine
Alongside lectures about the dangers of drugs or road safety, officers promote enrollment in military and law enforcement universities
They talk to youth about careers in the Interior Ministry, Federal Security Service (FSB), Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN) and other
from the Donetsk region said after one such school meeting.During these events, teens learn about free education at law enforcement
universities and the health and physical fitness requirements for applicants, as well as perks such as subsidized housing and other
principal to bring out the most reliable students
In March, Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev reported a shortfall of 172,000 officers, while FSIN said its staffing gap had reached
According to estimates by the independent outlet IStories, salaries in key police roles are 1.7 to 2.5 times below the national average
For example, a local district officer earns about 49,000 rubles (approximately $568) per month.For high schoolers, the emphasis is not on
salaries, but on access to free education at security-related universities.In winter, the Kherson branch of Russia's Interior Ministry
their messages to the audience
While primary school students heard about the importance of attending school regularly, for older students, the emphasis was on criminal and
administrative liability for extremism, terrorism and drug-related offenses.In the occupied Ukrainian city of Melitopol, high school
A similar session was organized for students in Russian-occupied Skadovsk.High school students in Donetsk are told about the prospects of
studying at FSIN universities.@gufsindnrThe influence of Russian security forces on schoolchildren goes beyond talks about police or
National Guard service careers
in the National Guard class in occupied Berdiansk
classes became widely popular in Russia around 2018
Students typically begin in fifth or seventh grade, receiving military-style training alongside standard subjects
The curriculum includes drill practice, discipline and patriotic education
security agency in Berdiansk reported.According to state news agency TASS, there are currently 12 school classes in the occupied
Zaporizhzhia region where students are enrolled in National Guard-linked programs.A cadet class at School No
2 in Syvash, Kherson region.khogov.ruLast fall, School No
2 in Syvash, Kherson region, launched a cadet class
diligently and wear this title with honor
movement active in the occupied territories: Yunarmiya, or the Youth Army.Yunarmiya trains children from occupied areas to handle weapons
and act as war correspondents
4 in occupied Henichesk join the Yunarmiya.henichesk.ruIn November 2024, the U.K
imposed sanctions on current and former leaders of Yunarmiya in the Kherson region
Tatyana Zavalska, the head of a Kherson orphanage, was also sanctioned for her role in the forced transfer of 46 Ukrainian children for
adoption in Russia.Among the long-term consequences of indoctrinating teenagers, Stupak warns of a future where these youth could
