Russia Sets Up Class Intended to Prepare Youth for Service in Russian Security Forces at School in Occupied Berdiansk

Russian military forces have set up a specialized “Russian Guard” class at School No. 10 in the temporarily occupied city of Berdiansk, Zaporizhzhia region. This information was provided by Viktoriia Halitsina, head of the Berdiansk City Military Administration.

According to Halitsina, the new class at School No. 10 is intended to prepare youth for service in Russian security forces. She noted that this initiative is part of a broader strategy to militarize youth in the occupied territories.

The report also mentioned that the occupiers are organizing paramilitary competitions at the seized “Red Carnation” facility. In Berdiansk, organizations such as “Yunarmiya,” the “Warrior” center for military-sport training and patriotic education, and the newly established “Region of Youth” are actively operating.

Additionally, Russian narratives are being promoted in the Orthodox gymnasium, which has been operating in the occupied city for the second year. The opening of the new class at the secondary school underscores the occupiers' efforts to alter the identity of children and create a future reserve for the Russian army.

Earlier reports indicated that during the summer of 2024, Russian-installed authorities deported 40,000 Ukrainian children to “re-education camps” as part of the “Useful Vacations” project. According to the Regional Center for Human Rights, these children were relocated to various locations across Russia, including Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Rostov-on-Don, and Tula. The Center identified 13 re-education camps in occupied Ukrainian territories, 18 in Belarus, and 67 in Russia. The curriculum at these camps includes military training and intense propaganda sessions aimed at fostering loyalty to Russia while erasing national identity.