“Shaping Future Voices: The Kremlins Initiative to Create Pro-Russian Youth Bloggers in Occupied Ukraine”

«We are living in a remarkable era where anyone has the opportunity to be part of a significant media movement,» states pro-war pop artist Nikolai Baskov.

He is encouraging children and teenagers in the occupied regions of Ukraine to participate in MediaAttraction, a media school established by the pro-Kremlin youth organization Movement of the First.

Just days after the onset of the full-scale war in Ukraine in 2022, Russian authorities began creating media schools in the occupied areas, instructing youth on camera usage and training them to become «real journalists.»

MediaAttraction institutions have been launched in Mariupol, Henichesk, Donetsk, Luhansk, and other occupied cities, which experts view as a governmental initiative to produce bloggers and reporters loyal to the Kremlin in these regions.

Currently, the project is running a journalism contest where students are tasked with writing about their “new homeland.” The five best entries will be published in the Movement’s Magazine of the First. Additional rewards include a copy of “History of the Russian State” by Nikolai Karamzin, a key text in Russian imperial historiography.

The Magazine of the First was introduced in February, featuring a poem by Denis Dymchenko, a Russian soldier who lost his life in Ukraine, and another article honoring Dmitry Savluchenko, a Russian-appointed official in charge of youth affairs in the Kherson region, who was killed in a car explosion in 2022.

Savluchenko «never made political statements,» reflects eighth-grade student Karolina Norchenko, a member of the Movement of the First’s branch in Kherson. «He solely focused on working with children, families, and youth.»

Her homage was included in a section labeled “Heroes of the Liberated Kherson Region.”

Other sections of the magazine cover themes like “Russia Is My Home,” “Volunteering,” “Education,” and “History.” In the history section, children are encouraged to write about World War II veterans and Russian soldiers from the Kherson area who participated in the conflict in Ukraine.

“With our reintegration into the Russian Federation, our lives have improved greatly,” mentioned Sofiya Poleshchuk, another youth movement member, during the magazine launch. “The state is paying close attention to us, providing extensive opportunities for education, creativity, and personal development. This support wasn’t present before — under Ukraine, we did not have such resources or prospects.”

In addition to MediaAttraction, the Movement of the First is actively promoting the state-supported ideology of the “Russian World” throughout occupied Ukraine.

In April, a series of lectures on the “Russian World” were conducted in 16 schools across occupied Kherson. More than 290 students from grades 5 to 11 participated, according to local administration installed by Russia.

These lectures are part of an initiative led by Alexei Lavrentyev, the movement’s regional leader, and financed by Rosmolodezh, Russia’s federal youth agency.

“Thanks to these educational projects, young people not only gain knowledge but also a sense of their historical and cultural identity,” Lavrentyev asserted.

Among the initiatives is a video series named “Significant Adult,” created by 15-year-old Lenya, a Kherson student aspiring to be a journalist. The show includes interviews with officials from the Russian occupation government, including Vladimir Saldo, the Moscow-appointed leader of Kherson.

Despite commendations from propagandist Alexander Malkevich, “Significant Adult” has not gained a significant online following, accumulating fewer than 10 followers on VK and just 28 subscribers on RuTube, Russia’s homegrown alternative to YouTube.

“If someone is willing to learn, the paths to public service are open,” occupied official Yevgeny Brykov remarked.

One graduate from Malkevich’s school appeared in a video burying her Ukrainian passport alongside other teenagers, expressing disenchantment with the Ukrainian government.

“We’re done with this. We no longer want anything to do with Ukraine. We’re not even certain it will exist moving forward,” one girl states. The video concludes with, “Now we are with Russia,” set to “Call Me With You” by Alla Pugacheva, a popular Russian singer who has publicly opposed the war.

Malkevich shared the video with an approving note: “I’ve already reached out to her.”

In 2023, Malkevich produced a textbook titled “Real Russian Journalism for the New Regions,” which he presented as a counter to what he termed “insane Ukrainian propaganda.”

“Listen to the views of the majority, and no one can mislead you,” one piece of advice from his textbook, quoted by the pro-Russian Kherson News Agency.

Russia’s initiatives to nurture loyal young journalists also extend to competitions like YUNKOR-2025, which wrapped up this spring with the participation of five teams from Mariupol.

One group of high school girls produced a state television-style video depicting life in Mariupol under Russian rule. It starts with sweeping views of Lenin Square (formerly Freedom Square), the Azov Sea pier, chestnut trees, and the renowned neo-Gothic residence of Mariupol doctor Sergei Gamper.

“Blooming chestnut trees, seagulls crying, billowing factory smoke, and the serene glimmer of the sea all spoke of a peaceful and thriving life [in Mariupol]. That was until signs of misanthropy began to surface in Kyiv,” states the video’s narrator.

The report concludes with: “Mariupol is part of our shared history.”

In Mariupol, Movement of the First functions youth media centers backed by the Donbass Media Center (DMC), a pro-Russian initiative focused on boosting engagement with modern media platforms, according to CNN.

Teens who complete their training often create videos showcasing how Russia is “rebuilding” the city. One young blogger informed CNN that such videos are becoming a new trend.

However, the DMC is not the sole pro-Russian media effort operating in Mariupol. This spring, the Donetsk branch of the youth movement Yunarmiya (“Youth Army”) applied for a presidential grant to establish four media studios in Donetsk, Mariupol, Shakhtarsk, and Kirovsk. The proposal sought 997,000 rubles (approximately $12,000), akin to the funding used to open the Mariupol media school.

As per the grant application, participants at these studios will also create a film regarding Yunarmiya in their area. The premiere is scheduled for the fall to coincide with the anniversary of Russia’s September 2022 annexation of the Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions.

Analysts suggest these efforts aim to cultivate a new generation of Kremlin-aligned war correspondents, contrasting with the existing group of military bloggers, who often critique Moscow’s management of the war.

“Current war correspondents demonstrate a lack of loyalty to the Russian government. They tend to irritate the Kremlin,” stated Ivan Stupak, an advisor to the Ukrainian parliament’s national security committee, in an interview with The Moscow Times. “By establishing these media schools, the authorities are fostering a new generation of war correspondents from the ground up. Over time, these youths will evolve into young war reporters who will curate Telegram channels and TikTok in a manner consistent with the Kremlin’s objectives.”

“The primary asset for these future war correspondents will be their audience. They will likely not have the opportunity to criticize the authorities, as these bloggers are being nurtured from inception by the Russian state,” Stupak concluded.