Russians force school graduates into war against Ukraine - Luhansk Regional Administration
Children in occupied territories (Photo: vk.com/avangard_patriot)
In the occupied part of the Luhansk region, Russians have intensified pressure on high school graduates, promoting participation in the army as a way to gain education and build a career, according to a post by Luhansk Regional Military Administration Head Oleksii Kharchenko.
According to Oleksii Kharchenko, Russian authorities in the temporarily occupied territory have stepped up work with senior students.
Representatives of the so-called military commissariats hold meetings in schools and encourage teenagers to view military service as a beneficial start for future employment.
What opportunities are offered
Kharchenko reported that the recruiters present two main paths: signing a contract or enrolling in a military university.
Graduates are told that participation in combat operations allegedly opens up additional opportunities for professional growth and facilitates further advancement along the service career path.
Parallel pressure and restrictions
Amid the recruitment campaigns, problems with access to information are intensifying. Residents of occupied Luhansk are advised to use radio and TV channels via the Internet, but in reality, connectivity is rapidly deteriorating.
Since November, two regional TV channels and several radio stations have been broadcasting exclusively on the Russian segment of the network, while the Internet is cut off not only in frontline areas but also in many other settlements.
In some places, speeds have dropped to a minimum, making access to news almost impossible. Residents perceive the occupation authorities’ statements about digital development as mockery.
The temporarily occupied Luhansk is facing a critical utility situation: in several settlements, water has been unavailable for weeks, and in apartment buildings, people are forced to use water drained from heating systems for household needs. At the same time, any attempts to independently improve conditions are used by the occupation authorities as grounds for fines.
In occupied Donbas, the structures controlling the territories use educational institutions as platforms for militarizing teenagers, presenting military-technical classes conducted in vocational schools as youth development programs.
