--- title: "Schools on occupied territories are being turned into tools of ideological indoctrination: a mandatory textbook on 'regional history' is being introduced" description: "Ukrainian Ombudsman Lyubynets reported: a mandatory history textbook imposing Russian imperial myths on children has been approved in schools on occupied territories. The course will be introduced on September 1, 2026." date: 2026-08-21T16:52:00.000Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/schools-occupied-territories-ideological-processing-history-textbook-en tags: [ukraine, occupied-territories, education, propaganda, russia, children] publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Schools on occupied territories are being turned into tools of ideological indoctrination: a mandatory textbook on 'regional history' is being introduced ![Young children in camouflage with toy weapons in occupied territory](https://xab.info/media/2026/08/22/shkoly-okkupirovannyh-territoriy-ideologicheskaya-obrabotka-uchebnik-istorii/shkoly-okkupirovannyh-territoriy-ideologicheskaya-obrabotka-uchebnik-istorii-1.webp) ## 🎯 Key Points - The textbook 'History of Our Region. Donbas and Novorossiya' has been approved for grades 5–7 in the occupied areas of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions. - As of September 1, 2026, the course becomes mandatory; the goal is to impose Russian imperial myths and the 'historical right' of the RF to Ukrainian lands on children. - Ombudsman Lyubynets described this as a multi-stage scheme to influence the consciousness of an entire generation within the broader context of the pseudo-legitimization of RF presence. Dmytro Lyubynets, the Ombudsman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, stated that Russia is deliberately turning educational institutions on temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine into instruments of ideological pressure and propaganda. According to him, new mandatory subjects are being prepared for students, the goal of which is to distort history and foster loyalty to Russian authorities in children. This was reported by RBK-Ukraine citing the ombudsman's Telegram channel. ### New mandatory textbook and its goals According to Lyubynets, the textbook 'History of Our Region. Donbas and Novorossiya' has been approved for students in grades 5–7 in the occupied areas of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions. The main task of this material, as noted by the ombudsman, is to impose Russian imperial myths on children and force them to believe in the so-called 'historical right' of the RF to Ukrainian lands. As of September 1, 2026, this course becomes mandatory for study, which essentially cements the propaganda agenda in the daily schedule of primary school students. ### Mechanism of influence on children's consciousness Lyubynets emphasized the pragmatism and cynicism of the approach: if a child hears the same lie every day from a teacher, sees it in a textbook, and gets grades for it, over time they may stop perceiving it as a lie. The ombudsman described the work of the Russian system on occupied territories as a multi-stage scheme, in which a key role is played by the constant, systematic repetition of the same theses in the educational environment. 'The world must see how Russia is waging war not only on the territory but also for the consciousness of an entire generation. It is trying to take away their future — the right to know their history, to grow up as free people, and to live in their own native country,' he stated. ### Visual context: militarization of everyday life Public footage from occupied territories captures how militarization penetrates the everyday lives of children: minors are shown in camouflage uniforms and headgear, with combat paint on their faces and holding toy weapons imitating military equipment. Such scenes are usually accompanied by collective slogans and emotional shouts. Although the specific circumstances and location of such footage require separate verification, they vividly illustrate the general vector pointed out by the ombudsman: an attempt to embed military and propaganda rhetoric into the children's environment and make it the norm. ### Broader: pseudo-legitimization of RF presence The educational reform on occupied territories fits into a broader context of Russia's attempts to legitimize its presence through administrative and pseudo-electoral mechanisms. The Central Election Commission of Ukraine has already called on residents of occupied territories not to participate in the so-called elections, emphasizing that any attempts by the RF to conduct voting are illegitimate and their results have no legal force. In parallel, the Federal Security Service of the RF announced the cancellation of the border zone between the occupied regions of Ukraine, Russian oblasts, and the Crimean peninsula; however, according to available data, control at the border with frontline territories by RF law enforcement agencies is only partially removed. ### Contradictory data In the provided materials, no obvious discrepancies in versions regarding key facts (name of the textbook, coverage of grades 5–7, introduction date from September 1, 2026) have been recorded. At the same time, there are two points requiring reservations. First, the text of the ombudsman's statement mentions a 'scheme of three key stages,' but the stages themselves are not listed in the provided fragment, so the specific content of each stage cannot be confirmed. Second, additional sources on the topic of education (Lyubynets' statement about the system's unpreparedness for the reform of senior high school and materials about the Unified State Exam schedule for 2026 in the RF) relate to other aspects of educational policy and do not provide independent confirmation of the content of the occupation textbook. Thus, the core of the information relies on a single official statement, and the illustrative footage of children in camouflage is not linked to a verified specific event. ## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification - [Russians turned schools in occupation into an ideological processing machine: how they are 'washing' children's brains](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/rosiyani-peretvorili-shkoli-okupatsiyi-mashinu-1787330163.html) - Основной источник: заявление Лубинца об учебнике «История нашего края. Донбасс и Новороссия» для 5–7 классов, введении с 1 сентября 2026 г. и цитаты омбудсмена. - [The system is not ready to implement the reform of senior high school, - Lyubynets](https://ukranews.com/news/1154308-sistema-ne-gotova-k-vnedreniyu-reformy-starshej-shkoly-lubinets) - Касается реформы старшей школы в Украине, а не оккупационного учебника; не даёт независимого подтверждения ключевых фактов статьи. - [Unified State Exam 2026: schedule, changes, mandatory subjects](https://vz.ru/information/2026/1/4/1384841.html) - Материал о ЕГЭ-2026 в РФ; тематически не связан с учебником на оккупированных территориях, использован только как фоновый контекст образовательной политики. ## ❓ FAQ ### Q: What textbook is being introduced in schools on occupied territories and for which grades? **A:** According to Ombudsman Lyubynets, the textbook 'History of Our Region. Donbas and Novorossiya' has been approved for grades 5–7 in the occupied areas of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions. ### Q: When will the course become mandatory? **A:** As of September 1, 2026, this course will be made mandatory for study. ### Q: What is the goal of the new subject, according to the ombudsman? **A:** Lyubynets claims that the goal is to impose Russian imperial myths on children and force them to believe in the 'historical right' of the RF to Ukrainian lands through daily repetition of the same theses.