- Category
- Latest news
Russia Exploits Youth Sports in Occupied Ukraine to Spread Propaganda and Political Ideology
- Authors
![Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko]( "Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko")
In Ukraine’s temporarily occupied territories, Russia is increasingly exploiting sports as a tool to impose political ideology on children. Sports clubs and extracurricular activities are being transformed into platforms for propaganda, while athletic events are given an overtly ideological tone.
According to the Center for Countering Disinformation on September 25, Russian authorities in several temporary occupied cities of Zaporizhzhia region have intensified efforts to use sports as an instrument of coercion. The resistance movement “Yellow Ribbon” noted that in Enerhodar, Berdiansk, and Melitopol, local coaches are being pressured to conduct so-called “patriotic education of Russians.”
“Representatives of the occupation administrations even attend swimming and badminton lessons, demanding that coaches hold ‘conversations’ with children and incorporate political slogans into the training process,” the center stated.
Simultaneously, media outlets established by Russian-installed authorities in Zaporizhzhia region have ramped up sports-related content. These platforms highlight the “achievements” of young athletes and cover competitions where sports are explicitly framed as a vehicle for ideological indoctrination, the centre reported.
One such example was a volleyball tournament in a Berdiansk school titled “I Remember! I Am Proud!”—an event staged to mark the 80th anniversary of the “great victory.” Similar initiatives are presented as elements of “patriotic education.”
Russian officials from the so-called “ministry of sports” have also begun visiting sports schools more frequently, attempting to project an image of concern for youth. In reality, these visits are used to tighten control over sports and push propaganda narratives.
“This shows that Russia is deliberately using sports in the occupied territories as a tool of ideological control and a means of imposing Russian propaganda on children,” the Center for Countering Disinformation emphasized.
At the same time, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv will do everything possible to bring home children deported by Russia, stressing that their return remains one of the country’s highest priorities.
In an interview with Axios on September 26, Zelenskyy admitted the scale of the tragedy: “I want them to be happy. Of course, I want to bring them back to Ukraine. And, I`m so sorry that we didn’t have enough power not to give the possibility for Russians to steal them. But we will bring them back. To their country, to their relatives.”
He emphasized that the children’s return must also respect their personal choice. “It’s so important and of course it depends on their will. Because we are fighting for freedom, we can’t be near them now. It’s a pity, first of all, that their relatives can’t be there. This is a big tragedy,” Zelenskyy said.
Earlier, in Ukraine’s temporarily occupied territories, Russian authorities introduced new restrictions on schoolchildren, checking their phones to cut off access to independent information sources.
