Six educators in Donetsk Oblast have been charged with collaborating with the occupying forces
Six educators from the temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk Oblast have been charged with collaboration for working with the Russian occupation authorities. According to the investigation, they held leadership positions in pseudo-educational institutions and implemented Russian educational standards.
The six educators, who remained working in the occupied territories of Donetsk Oblast and sided with Russian authorities, have been notified of charges of collaboration because, according to the investigation, they knowingly participated in shaping the education system according to the standards of the aggressor state. This involves leadership positions at fake educational institutions in the Bakhmut, Volnovakha, and Mariupol districts, where they ensured the functioning of the educational process under the control of the occupying administration.
According to the Donetsk Regional Prosecutor’s Office, between 2022 and 2025, these individuals did not merely continue their work but effectively integrated into the Russian Federation’s educational system in the occupied territories, promoting Russian curricula. Among them is the former dean of one of the faculties at a Ukrainian university, who took up the position of “head of the Department of Pedagogy and Primary Education” at a pseudo-institution of the “DPR” in Mariupol.
Also among those implicated are former teachers and administrators of educational institutions from Berdiansk, Mariupol, Svitlodarsk, and Yasynuvata, who were appointed to administrative positions or became “principals” and “assistant principals” at so-called schools and universities. According to the investigation, they implemented Russian educational standards, developed curricula, organized educational activities, and participated in events organized by the occupying authorities.
The prosecutor’s office emphasizes that such activities in fact entailed not only administrative work but also participation in reshaping the educational landscape by supplanting the Ukrainian language, history, and identity. “The suspects ensure compliance with the Russian Federation’s state educational standards. They develop internship programs, approve educational activity plans, and participate in events organized by their Russian colleagues,” the office noted.
In addition, according to the investigation, these educators interact with parents and students, spreading propaganda narratives and fostering loyalty to the aggressor state. All six have been notified in absentia of their status as suspects under the article on collaboration; they are wanted by authorities, and some of them have already been implicated in other criminal proceedings related to cooperation with the occupying authorities. The Donetsk Regional Prosecutor’s Office reported this on Facebook.
Ukrainian law enforcement officials have charged a Russian official in absentia with financing Russian military units participating in the war against Ukraine. The charges involve the use of administrative resources and the organization of material support for the aggressor country’s army.
