Camilla Jessen
Russia is expanding its efforts to reshape the cultural and educational landscape in occupied Ukrainian territories.
Russia is offering large sums of money to teachers and cultural workers who agree to move to areas of Ukraine under Russian control.
A new report from the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) says the goal is to change local identity and create loyalty to Russia through education.
Teachers Offered Up to $22,000
Russian teachers are being promised up to 2 million rubles—about $22,000—for five-year teaching jobs in places like Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson.
Those going to Crimea can get up to 1 million rubles.
These payments are part of a program originally meant for rural areas in Russia, now expanded to Ukraine’s occupied regions.
Program Expanded to Ukraine in 2024
The “Zemskyi Uchitel” (Rural Teacher) program began in Russia to help remote towns find teachers.
In 2024, it officially started in occupied parts of Ukraine, but some Russian teachers had already been sent there earlier, starting in 2022.
Teachers Sent from All Over Russia
More than 100 Russian teachers have moved to Crimea through this program.
They come from places like Krasnodar, Altai Krai, Tomsk, Novosibirsk, and Dagestan.
Kateryna Rashevska from Ukraine’s Regional Center for Human Rights said that by 2024, 37 Dagestani teachers were working in Zaporizhzhia.
Changing What Kids Learn in School
These teachers are not just teaching—they are helping to turn Ukrainian children into “Russian patriots.”
They teach subjects like Russian history and language and even include military-style lessons called “life safety and defense of the Motherland,” Rashevska explained.
Ukrainian Teachers Face Threats
At the same time, Ukrainian teachers in occupied areas are being pressured to follow Russian rules.
Those who refuse are punished.
In one case, a principal in Berdiansk was deported for not opening the school under Russian control, said Mariia Sulialina of the Ukrainian group Almenda.
Praise Putin or Get Reported
Teachers are also expected to speak well of Russian President Vladimir Putin and to report students who show support for Ukraine.
Often, this means punishing students just for wearing Ukrainian symbols or speaking their native language.
Experts Say This Violates International Law
Human rights experts say these actions are a form of colonization and go against international laws like the Geneva Convention.
Rashevska says Russia plans to send another 100 teachers in 2025.
She warns that the International Criminal Court has not yet acted on this issue, even though it involves an organized plan to control education in occupied areas.
