Kremlin Targets Ukrainian Children With New Indoctrination Manual, Intelligence Warns

Russian authorities have developed new ideological guidelines aimed at shaping the worldview of children and teenagers living in temporarily occupied regions of Ukraine, according to the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense (HUR).

The document, described as a “manual for preventing the spread of terrorism, extremism, and neo-Nazism,” instructs occupation administrators and local collaborators to identify minors who post anti-Putin comments online, follow Ukrainian news, or access international media sources.

With such children, the manual recommends conducting “educational work” meant to instill loyalty to Moscow and acceptance of Russia’s war narrative.

According to HUR, these sessions are part of a broader campaign to replace Ukrainian national identity with Russian imperial ideology.

The document specifically calls for restricting access to historical materials—particularly those about World War II—and instead promoting the Soviet concept of the “Great Patriotic War,” framing it as a central element of Russian patriotism.

The manual reportedly mandates regular ideological classes aimed at fostering “tolerance” toward Russia’s invasion and teaching values of submission to the ruling regime.

Ukrainian intelligence emphasized that such measures constitute an element of genocide against the Ukrainian people. “Aggressive propaganda targeting children to destroy their national identity grossly violates international law,” the HUR stated.

The intelligence agency identified several Russian contributors involved in drafting the guidelines, including Irina Bobrakovskaya, Alexandra Bykadrova, Sergey Ventzel, Olga Galanina, and Elena Malik—individuals described as “educators and researchers” with experience in state propaganda campaigns.

According to HUR, all individuals and institutions engaged in the ideological manipulation of Ukrainian children will face full and inevitable accountability.

Earlier, on October 21, Russia’s Commissioner for Children’s Rights, Maria Lvova-Belova, publicly admitted to taking a 15-year-old Ukrainian orphan named Pylyp from Mariupol to Russia, despite the boy’s resistance and stated hostility toward Russia.

According to her account, he initially rejected life in Russia, sang Ukrainian songs, and read pro-Ukrainian media. The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Lvova-Belova and Vladimir Putin over war crimes related to the unlawful deportation of Ukrainian children.

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