Anna Hartz
Governments use media, schools, and youth programs to shape how young people understand war.
In territories affected by occupation, this influence can be even stronger because children have fewer alternative sources of information.
Teaching content-creation
A growing system run by Russia is now being used in occupied areas of Ukraine to train teenagers as part of its propaganda efforts, reports United24Media. The program is known as “Young Correspondents” and is linked to the youth organization Yunarmia. According to reporting by OCCRP, it teaches students to create media content that supports Moscow’s narrative.
In cities and towns under occupation, children are drawn into structured activities that look like journalism clubs. In reality, internal documents show a different purpose. Students are taught to see the internet as a battlefield. They are told their work supports Russia in an information war.
Training includes workshops, media tasks, and meetings with military figures. Some teenagers travel to Moscow for events where they attend classes led by state media workers. These sessions often present the invasion of Ukraine in a positive light.
One example comes from Henichesk, a town in southern Ukraine. A girl named Kateryna was involved in the program. Before the war, she made videos supporting the Ukrainian language. Later, she received funding from a Russian youth agency to promote patriotic education in occupied areas.
Easily influenced
The program is supported by the Russian Ministry of Defense. It is linked to wider efforts to shape education in occupied regions. Schools follow a Russian curriculum, and students are exposed to military themes in daily learning.
Human rights groups say this approach breaks international law. They argue that it pressures children to accept imposed identities. Psychologists add that teenagers in these environments often adapt to survive socially. Many accept the messaging because they lack access to other viewpoints.
Other teenagers from occupied regions have also taken part in similar activities. They join military style games, record videos, and compare current events to past wars. Some also use language that expresses hostility toward Ukraine.
The influence extends into schools inside Russia as well. New educational materials present military figures as role models. These include illustrated books aimed at young students. Many of the figures shown are linked to military operations in Ukraine.
The system combines education, media training, and military culture. It shapes how young people see the conflict and their role in it.
