Occupiers are intensifying the militarization of children in the Kherson region
In the temporarily occupied territories of the Kherson region, Russian forces are stepping up efforts to prepare children for future service in law enforcement agencies.
Specifically, this involves the creation of a closed system of education and training. Over the past year, the number of cadet classes under the auspices of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation has grown to 20.
This is reported with reference to data from the Center for National Resistance.
It is reported that the occupation administration in Henichesk, Novotroitske, Skadovsk, and other cities is carrying out a direct political order from the Kremlin and the United Russia party. The process is being managed by the occupation “Ministry of Education” in conjunction with the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation.
How the system works:
- Russian investigators personally prepare teaching manuals, texts for “cadet oaths,” and educational programs such as “Young Investigator” and “Fundamentals of Public Service.”
- Between 2025 and 2026, the network of such classes more than doubled, covering an increasing number of schools in the occupied territories.
Serhiy Cherevko, deputy head of the occupation government, justifies the militarization of children by citing a “decrease in the level of misconduct” in schools where cadet training has been implemented.
“The real goal is to lure graduates into the higher education institutions of the Russian Federation’s security agencies by promising priority admission. In this way, Russia is forming a closed military system: starting from the school desk, it is training future investigators, military personnel, and employees of the Russian Guard and the Ministry of Internal Affairs,” the National Resistance Center stated in its report.
Shelling of the Kherson region: 40 settlements under attack; one person killed and 25 wounded.
Additionally, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that in March, the Russian army suffered its heaviest losses since the start of the full-scale war.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense has released data on the advance of Russian occupation forces over the past month.
