Russia Rewriting National Identity of Ukrainian Children in Occupied Territories, Warns Disinformation Center

Russia Launches New Propaganda Project Targeting Children in Occupied Ukrainian Territory

Russian authorities have initiated a new propaganda campaign aimed at Ukrainian children in the temporarily occupied regions of Zaporizhzhia Oblast, according to a report from the Center for Countering Disinformation (CPD) of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council.

The project, named “Pervoistok” (Primary Source), is being organized in part by “Dvizhenie Pervykh” (Movement of the First), a children’s paramilitary structure established by the Russian government. The program will feature a series of lectures and master classes ostensibly focused on “preserving historical memory” and “fighting the falsification of the past.”

Security experts note that the Kremlin has deployed loyal “experts” to add legitimacy to the propaganda effort. The CPD highlighted the irony of the situation, stating that “despite the stated goal of ‘fighting the falsification of history,’ it is at such events that a systematic falsification of the past actually takes place.”

One particularly concerning element of the program, according to Ukrainian officials, is its emphasis on “family continuity” and encouraging Ukrainian children to discover “their place in the history of Russia.” The CPD emphasized that this represents a deliberate attempt to “impose a Russian identity on children in the temporarily occupied territories.”

This campaign reflects a broader pattern of Russia’s cultural and ideological occupation following its military invasion. Since the beginning of the full-scale war in February 2022, Russian authorities have systematically replaced Ukrainian education systems, textbooks, and curricula with Russian alternatives in occupied territories.

“This event is just one example of how Russia, after the military seizure of territory, is engaged in the occupation of children’s minds through pseudo-educational projects and manipulative ‘historical’ lectures,” CPD analysts explained.

The targeting of children in occupied regions aligns with Russia’s domestic education policies, which have become increasingly militarized. In Russian schools, educational programs now include recreations of World War II processes, teaching students how to use outdated equipment like slide rules and fountain pens, apparently to foster connection with Russia’s military history.

International human rights organizations have repeatedly expressed concern about Russia’s treatment of Ukrainian children in occupied territories. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova, Russia’s Commissioner for Children’s Rights, on charges related to the unlawful deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia.

Education experts warn that such propaganda campaigns can have long-lasting psychological effects on children, potentially erasing their cultural identity and replacing it with an imposed narrative. The practice violates multiple international conventions protecting children’s rights during armed conflicts.

The “Pervoistok” project appears to be part of a coordinated effort that includes the introduction of new “textbooks on the history of Donbas and Novorossiya”—the latter being a historical term revived by Russian authorities to justify territorial claims in southern Ukraine.

Ukrainian officials continue to document these activities as potential war crimes and violations of international humanitarian law, particularly the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits an occupying power from compelling people to swear allegiance to the hostile power.

As the conflict enters its third year, the battle for the hearts and minds of Ukrainian children in occupied territories represents a less visible but potentially long-lasting dimension of Russia’s invasion, with implications that could extend for generations.