Militarization of education in the temporarily occupied territories: During the last school year, the number of cadet classes in Crimea increased by more than a quarter

One of the patterns observed, particularly in the occupiers’ policy towards Ukrainian children in the temporarily occupied territories, is the militarization of education and formal education. One such component is the establishment of cadet classes, which are opened in all occupied territories. Specifically, in the temporarily occupied Crimea there are 260 such classes, and their number has increased by more than a quarter over the past year.

This was reported by Mariia Sulialina, head of the Center of Civil Education Almenda, during a presentation at the Media Center Ukraine.

“As of today, there are 260 cadet classes in Crimea. If we compare this with the data from the end of the previous academic year, that is, May, we see an increase of 63 classes. This is only the first half of the academic year in Crimea. And if we look at the statements of the so-called minister of education of Crimea, she emphasizes the importance of opening cadet classes, and we believe that we will see further expansion and establishment of new cadet classes,” she noted.

According to Mariia Sulialina, the danger of cadet classes lies in the fact that children are prepared for a military career from an early age, starting from the first grade.

“They are given only one path, which defines who they are supposed to become, because they are supposed to become either military personnel or part of the law enforcement structures of the russian federation. And these are Ukrainian children for whom russia is creating such a future,” the expert explained.

This pattern, Mariia Sulialina noted, continues and is likely to intensify in 2025.

“Unfortunately, we expect further intensification in 2025. Because 2025 has been declared the ‘year of the defender of the motherland’ in the russian federation, and within this framework a whole series of measures to increase militarization are planned. We’ve already noted the establishment of cadet classes in the territories occupied since 2022, especially in the Kherson and Zaporizhia oblasts,” she added.

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