Recruitment Drive in Schools: Russian Security Forces Target Youth in Occupied Ukraine

“Sit!” says a National Guard officer, partially concealed by a balaclava, while gesturing to a German Shepherd in a school assembly hall located in the Russian-occupied Kherson region. The dog follows the command, eliciting laughter from the children.

This demonstration is part of a training initiative organized by Russia’s National Guard, or Rosgvardia, which takes place in schools across the seized territories of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson in Ukraine.

Alongside the trained dog, officers present various equipment, highlight the principles of tactical medicine, and showcase a reconnaissance drone in action.

Since late February, there has been a noticeable increase in visits by Russian security forces to schools and colleges in the annexed areas of Ukraine.

In addition to discussing topics like drug dangers and road safety, the officers also seek to encourage students to consider careers in military and law enforcement education. They promote opportunities within the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Federal Security Service (FSB), the Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN), and other agencies.

These events are termed “career guidance” or “informational sessions” by the occupying authorities.

“Students with strong determination and high moral standards can achieve great success in a noble career committed to maintaining law and order,” remarked an FSIN officer from Donetsk after one such event.

During these gatherings, teenagers learn about tuition-free education at law enforcement universities, the physical fitness standards for applicants, and benefits such as subsidized housing.

“Security services have always viewed school pupils and students as a potential recruitment base,” Ivan Stupak, an advisor with Ukraine’s parliamentary committee on national security, informed The Moscow Times.

“It’s relatively simple to enter a school, display your badge, and ask the principal to present the most reliable students. A significant portion of your recruitment effort is already completed,” he explained.

These recruitment initiatives come in response to Russia’s growing deficiency of law enforcement personnel. In March, Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev reported a shortfall of 172,000 officers, while FSIN announced a staffing gap of 23%.

The FSIN shortfall has doubled since 2021, prior to Russia’s extensive invasion of Ukraine.

According to the independent outlet IStories, salaries for vital police positions are significantly lower—by 1.7 to 2.5 times—than the national average. For instance, a local district officer’s salary is about 49,000 rubles (approximately $568) per month.

For high school students, the focus is not on salaries, but rather on the opportunity for free education in security-related universities.

This winter, the Kherson branch of Russia’s Interior Ministry launched a campaign titled “Soldier of Law and Order.” Officers visited both high school students and younger children, adjusting their messaging according to the age group. Younger students learned about the importance of regular school attendance, while older students received information on the consequences of extremism, terrorism, and drug-related crimes.

In the occupied city of Melitopol, high school students gathered at the Emergency Situations Ministry headquarters to hear from its staff about their roles.

“This introduction to courage and bravery was not only informative, but many were also inspired to seriously consider this career path,” the ministry stated on its official website. A similar session was arranged for students in the Russian-occupied area of Skadovsk.

The reach of Russian security forces into the lives of students extends beyond discussions of police or National Guard careers. As of fall 2023, a year and a half after Russia’s partial occupation of the Zaporizhzhia region, the National Guard and education officials have agreed to establish the region’s first specialized class associated with Rosgvardia.

By the following year, 18 teenagers had enrolled in this National Guard class in occupied Berdiansk, receiving fundamental training in Russian security, “counter-terrorism protection,” and pledging allegiance to security agencies.

“Schools and universities are prime locations for initial recruitment assessments,” Stupak noted. “In educational settings, security officers can interact directly with individuals and understand how to engage them emotionally.”

Cadet programs gained popularity in Russia around 2018, allowing students, typically from fifth to seventh grade, to receive military-style training alongside regular subjects. The curriculum includes drill practices, discipline, and patriotic education, frequently overseen by Russia’s military and security agencies.

“At a ceremonial assembly, new cadets received special shoulder patches featuring the agency’s emblem,” reported the local security agency in Berdiansk.

As per the state news agency TASS, there are currently 12 classes in the seized Zaporizhzhia region associated with National Guard initiatives.

Last fall, School No. 2 in Syvash, Kherson region, launched a cadet class, with students arriving in camouflage uniforms for their lessons.

“I believe that all cadets who joined today will study diligently and wear this title with pride. They will dedicate their lives to serving our Motherland,” stated the deputy head of the Kherson region’s Russian-installed National Guard office.

“Children are already being trained in rifle use, shooting, and even exposure to gunpowder. Thus, upon graduation, they might think, ‘I can shoot, I enjoy running — perhaps I should join the police or the FSB?’ In other words, they’re predisposed towards the security system,” Stupak noted.

However, he also pointed out that this initial enthusiasm for a law enforcement career typically does not endure beyond five years.

“It takes three to four years just to adjust and grasp the job’s realities. Then, there is a turning point — at which point their supervisor may stifle any initiative. By year five, they realize that the job has become uninteresting. For Ukraine, those individuals may already be viewed as traitors,” he explained.

In conjunction with the expanding network of cadet programs, another militarized youth initiative is active in the occupied areas: Yunarmiya, or the Youth Army.

Yunarmiya instructs children from these territories on handling weapons and allows them to act as war correspondents. They learn to honor Russian soldiers in schools by creating “desks of heroes” named after those engaged in combat against Ukraine.

In November 2024, the U.K. imposed sanctions on both current and former leaders of Yunarmiya in the Kherson region, including Tatyana Zavalska, head of a Kherson orphanage, for her involvement in the forced transfer of 46 Ukrainian children for adoption in Russia.

Stupak cautions that the long-term implications of indoctrinating adolescents could lead to a situation where these youths might take up arms against their fellow Ukrainians.

“If Ukraine attempts to reclaim these territories through force, it won’t be Russians against us. It will be our own people,” he warned. “That’s the strategy: to ensure that it is not Russians who perish, but their own populace.”