Russia Implements Educational Propaganda in Occupied Ukrainian Regions

Russia Launches New School Propaganda Campaign in Occupied Ukrainian Territories

Russian authorities have intensified efforts to indoctrinate Ukrainian schoolchildren in occupied territories through a newly launched propaganda campaign centered around “Defender of the Fatherland Day,” according to human rights organizations monitoring the region.

The Eastern Human Rights Group has documented how this campaign specifically targets teenagers in upper grades through classroom sessions designed to reshape their worldview and foster loyalty to Russian occupiers. The program operates under seemingly innocuous themes of “serving the Fatherland” and “proper upbringing.”

“In the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, a new propaganda campaign has been launched – ‘Week leading up to Defender of the Fatherland Day,'” the Eastern Human Rights Group reported in social media posts. “Under the slogans ‘serving the Fatherland’ and ‘proper upbringing,’ children are systematically urged to show loyalty to the aggressor state.”

In Svitlodarsk, a Ukrainian town now under Russian occupation, fifth-graders are being subjected to lessons glorifying “feats of heroes,” “honorable military service,” and “heroes of the DPR” during sessions called “Conversations about important things.” The DPR refers to the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, an entity recognized only by Russia and a handful of other states.

Following these indoctrination sessions, children are encouraged to join the all-Russian campaign “Our Defenders of the Fatherland,” further cementing pro-Russian sentiments among young Ukrainians.

Human rights defenders warn that these educational initiatives represent a deliberate strategy to normalize war and portray service to the occupying forces as virtuous. The campaign appears to be part of a broader effort to ensure long-term Russian influence in the region by shaping the next generation’s values and loyalties.

Particularly concerning is how the program weaponizes peer pressure and social dynamics within schools. Children themselves are being used as instruments of propaganda through “class monitors,” patriotic sectors, and mandatory collective performances. This creates an environment where students who resist participation face ostracism, effectively transforming schools into platforms for political mobilization.

“The war continues not only on the front, it continues in the minds of children, and it is there that the occupation regime tries to entrench itself for decades,” rights defenders emphasized in their reports.

Russian authorities are also introducing “conduct grades” in student diaries across occupied territories. This administrative measure serves as another tool to monitor and control attitudes toward occupation authorities, punishing dissent and rewarding compliance.

This educational propaganda campaign follows established patterns from other conflicts where occupying powers have attempted to legitimize their presence by reshaping educational systems. Similar tactics were deployed by the Soviet Union during its occupation of Eastern European countries and by various colonial powers throughout history.

International law, including the Geneva Conventions and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, prohibits occupying powers from forcing ideological changes on occupied populations, particularly targeting children. However, enforcement mechanisms for such protections remain limited in active conflict zones.

Human rights organizations stress that protecting children from such manipulation must become a priority for Ukrainian authorities and the international community. The long-term consequences of allowing systematic indoctrination could extend well beyond the current conflict, potentially complicating future reconciliation efforts and Ukraine’s territorial integrity.

As the war approaches its third year, this educational battleground highlights how Russia is fighting not just for territory but for the hearts and minds of future generations in Ukraine.