- December 16, 2024
- 12:59 am
- Ukraine
“Hiding your children who want to study in the Ukrainian education system from the occupiers is a feat, it’s like the story of Anne Frank in 2024… And Russia is to blame for this, because parents do not want their child to be taken away from them.”
On temporarily occupied territories (TOT) There are 1.6 million Ukrainian children living in Ukraine.
About 593 thousand of them study in local schools, which the occupiers are turning them into laboratories for transforming free Ukrainians into subordinate Russians. Bribery of parents and intimidation of children are practiced. The educational program of the “new government” is aimed at destroying everything Ukrainian.
The Ministry of Education and Science (MES) of Ukraine believes that they have an idea of the situation.
According to their statistics, at the beginning November 2024 year 44,171 boys and girls with VOT, while studying in the Russian system, secretly continue to take an online course in Ukrainian schools.
However, this exact figure is an estimate, as each of these children runs the risk of being detected and punished. Therefore, even official statistics are inaccurate, and, moreover, they are declining.
In 2022, there were 96,621 children with HSD in the Ukrainian education system.
Last year 2023 – 70,533.
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The occupiers use different methods to wash the minds of children:
- Bribing parents and promising higher salaries for teachers;
- Intimidating children to force them to accept Russian ideology;
- Replacement of textbooks with Russian ones, from which references to Ukrainian history, Cossacks and the Holodomor are excluded.
Quote:
“They (children) are told that you won’t need the Ukrainian language, Ukrainian history is not true,” Alexandra Dvoretskaya, adviser to the Commissioner of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine for Human Rights, gives an example. “Children are pressured to take sides, and this has a very bad effect.”
Statistics: Secret Training
Despite the pressure, about 44 thousand children at TOT continue to receive Ukrainian education through online courses. But this number is rapidly declining:
| Year | Number of children studying in Ukrainian schools with TOT |
|---|---|
| 2022 | 96 621 |
| 2023 | 70 533 |
| 2024* | 44 171 |
| (*as of November 2024) |
Every child studying in secret is at great risk. The occupiers are actively identifying children and their families, using repression, espionage and even church confessions.
Propaganda in schools: billions for re-education
In 2024, Russia spent more than 40 billion rubles ($370 million) on the “patriotic education” of youth, which is 10 times more than in 2021. For 2025, the budget has been increased to 66 billion rubles.
This money is aimed at:
- Organizing meetings with SVO participants and propagandists;
- Creation of military camps where children undergo “patriotic training” (learning to jump with parachutes, clear land mines and honor Russian commanders);
- Excursions, trips and financial support for parents.
Quote:
“Russia is trying to show a peaceful picture, as if people at TOT are happy from the “strengthening of Russia.” But this is far from reality, especially in Crimea, where many Ukrainians and Crimean Tatars are waiting for de-occupation,” says Katerina Rashevskaya, a lawyer at the Center for Human Rights.
Risks and heroism of families
Russian aggression is destroying Ukrainian families in the TOT. An example is a mother hiding from her husband that their child is studying online at a Ukrainian school in order to avoid punishment.
Quote:
“First of all, we are losing not territories, but people who are growing and developing in the Russian intellectual space, which will then be very difficult to change,” notes Mikhail Vinnitsky, Deputy Minister of Education of Ukraine.
The current situation is reminiscent of the tragic stories of World War II. Experts compare the secretive education of Ukrainian children with the story of Anne Frank.
“Hideing your children who want to study in the Ukrainian education system from the occupiers is a feat that evokes gloomy, even brown, associations for Rashevskaya. It’s like the story of Anne Frank in 2024,” she says. “Can you imagine what kind of life it is when you can’t leave the house for two years?” These are teenagers. This is already a difficult period, but there is also a closed space. And Russia is to blame for this, because parents do not want their child to be taken away from them.”
Ukrainian solutions: patronage system and distance learning
Ukraine is actively implementing programs to support children in TOT:
- Patronage system: individual connection between the child and the teacher, from 5 to 12 hours of classes per week, depending on age.
- Externship and family training: children study independently or with the support of their parents and take exams remotely.
These initiatives allow children to receive Ukrainian certificates, which opens up the opportunity to continue their education in Ukraine or abroad.
View of NAnews: cooperation between Israel and Ukraine
This story once again emphasizes how important it is to maintain Ukrainian identity. Israel, where the preservation of national culture and education has always been a priority, can be an example for Ukraine.
Our website NAnews — Israel News continues to monitor developments related to Russian aggression. We see parallels between the tragedies of the Ukrainian and Jewish peoples and are convinced that only mutual support will help preserve identity and fight for children’s rights.
Conclusion:
Education is a weapon in the fight for freedom and the future. Ukrainian children at TOT continue to fight for their right to remain Ukrainians, despite repression and pressure. Their feat is inspiring and proves that a nation is alive as long as its culture is alive.
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