--- title: "A Conveyor of Children: How a New Generation Is Being Prepared for the Russian Army in Occupied Ukraine" description: "In the occupied territories of Ukraine, Russia has built a conveyor for the militarization of children — from kindergarten contests to drone-operator training centers. We break down the algorithm by which minors are being drawn into the Kremlin's war machine." date: 2026-09-11T04:02:01.000Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/conveyor-of-children-militarization-of-ukrainian-kids-in-occupied-territories tags: [ukraine, russia, militarization, children, occupied-territories, icc] publisher: "XAB.info" --- # A Conveyor of Children: How a New Generation Is Being Prepared for the Russian Army in Occupied Ukraine ![Children in military uniforms with red berets at a parade in an occupied region of Ukraine](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/11/konveier-militarizatsii-ukrainskikh-detey-na-vot/konveier-militarizatsii-ukrainskikh-detey-na-vot-1.webp) ## 🎯 Key Points - According to CNR estimates, a militarization conveyor is operating in the occupied territories: 874 "Yunarmia" units in Crimea and Sevastopol (~29,000 children) and more than 210 similar locations, per the Yale School of Public Health. - The algorithm of drawing children in begins in kindergartens and schools through "Talks about Important Things," "lessons of courage" and exposure to weapons; parents' refusal is met with fines and threats of child removal. - According to RBC-Ukraine sources, "Rosmolodezh" directed hundreds of millions of rubles to support universities under its control, NGOs and drone-operator training. - The deportation of Ukrainian children became the basis for the ICC arrest warrant for Putin; the specific figures in the material rely on Ukrainian sources and have not been re-verified by the Russian side. When a stranger reaches for another person's child, a mother's protective instinct kicks in instantly. But what happens when the threat comes not with a weapon, but with lessons, children's camps, military uniforms and propaganda? According to the Center for National Resistance (CNR), Russia has built a systematic conveyor for the ideological "re-education" of minors in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine: hundreds of millions of rubles are being spent to prepare the next generation for service in the Russian armed forces and to erase Ukrainian identity. ### Scale: the numbers that frighten According to CNR estimates, 874 "Yunarmia" (Junior Army) units have been created in Crimea and Sevastopol — around 29,000 children. In the occupied territories of Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk and Donetsk regions, at least 1,290 children went through the programs of the "Voyn" (Warrior) center in 2024 alone. Researchers at the Yale School of Public Health have counted more than 210 similar locations in Russia and in the occupied territories. To put it in perspective: 29,000 children is roughly the number of students in 50–60 Ukrainian secondary schools, meaning an entire generation is being systematically drawn into military-ideological training. ### From primer to trench: how the algorithm works The process of drawing children in begins at the earliest age. In kindergartens, children are being accustomed to Russian state symbols — flags, the anthem, military holidays, Victory Day events and drawing contests about the "heroes of the SVO" (the so-called "special military operation"); they are dressed in military uniforms, photographed with servicemen, and taught to perceive the army as a natural part of life. In schools, according to Sergey Nikitin, editor-in-chief of the Kherson publication "Most" (Bridge), "Talks about Important Things" have been added to the timetable, where children are fed the Kremlin's official position on the war and history, and Russian military personnel are invited to give "lessons of courage" — it is precisely during this period that minors are introduced to weapons and military equipment. Children who enter the system are encouraged with trips, camps, awards and a "good character reference," while parents who refuse to send their children to Russified schools and militarized organizations are, according to RBC-Ukraine sources in law enforcement agencies, intimidated by fines, deprivation of parental rights and forced removal to orphanages. ### Money for war: who funds the conveyor According to information RBC-Ukraine obtained from sources in law enforcement agencies, the Russian Federal Agency for Youth Affairs ("Rosmolodezh") allocated 878 million rubles under the "Rosmolodezh. Grants" competition to support universities under its control, and a further 69 million rubles to non-profit organizations. Among the grant recipients is the occupation structure "People's Militia of the DPR," which received 2.1 million rubles to develop the "ARM" center for training drone operators. Thus, the state is funding not only propaganda work but also practical military training of young people. ### International context and historical parallels The illegal deportation and transfer of Ukrainian children have already become the basis for the International Criminal Court's arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin. However, the physical removal of minors is only part of the problem: a significant number of them remain in the occupied territories, where their consciousness has been reshaped over the years. RBC-Ukraine draws a parallel with the Ottoman "devshirme" system, the Nazi "Lebensborn" program for Germanizing Slavic children, and the Stalinist NKVD practices of raising "mankurts" in special orphanages — in all cases, the goal was the deliberate erasure of memory and the cultivation of a loyal armed generation. ### Contradictory data The quantitative figures cited above (874 units, 29,000 children, 1,290 participants in the "Voyn" programs in 2024, more than 210 locations, as well as the "Rosmolodezh" grant amounts) were formulated by Ukrainian research bodies — the CNR and the Yale School of Public Health — and partly rely on data from sources in law enforcement agencies cited by RBC-Ukraine. Russian officials, for their part, deny the existence of systematic militarization and describe "Yunarmia" and similar programs as a voluntary patriotic movement rather than compulsory preparation for military service. The material provided does not include independent cross-verification of the cited figures against open Russian grant databases, so the specific amounts and counts should be regarded as data from one side of the conflict, while the very fact of the existence of military-patriotic upbringing programs for minors in the occupied territories is confirmed by multiple sources. ## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification - [From kindergarten to trench. How Russia is preparing Ukrainian children for service in its army](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/vid-ditsadka-okopu-k-rosiya-gotue-ukrayinskih-1788790718.html) - Единственный предоставленный источник. Подтверждает существование программ военно-патриотического воспитания (Юнармия, центр «Воин»), ордера МУС на арест Путина и описывает алгоритм втягивания. Конкретные цифры (874 отряда, 29 тыс. детей, 1 290 за 2024, 210+ локаций) и суммы грантов (878 млн, 69 млн, 2,1 млн руб.) приведены со ссылкой на ЦНС, Йельскую школу и анонимных источников в правоохранительных органах; независимая перекрёстная верификация в материале отсутствует. ## ❓ FAQ ### Q: How many children, according to the CNR, are involved in programs in the occupied territories? **A:** In Crimea and Sevastopol — around 29,000 (874 "Yunarmia" units); in 2024 alone, at least 1,290 children went through the "Voyn" center's programs in the occupied territories of four regions. ### Q: How does Russia fund this work? **A:** According to RBC-Ukraine sources in law enforcement agencies, "Rosmolodezh" allocated 878 million rubles to universities under its control and 69 million rubles to NGOs; the "People's Militia of the DPR" received 2.1 million rubles for the "ARM" drone-operator training center. ### Q: Are there international consequences of these practices? **A:** The illegal deportation and transfer of Ukrainian children became the basis for the International Criminal Court's arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin.