Back in July 2023, Kremlin leader Putin signed a decree "On the preparation and celebration of the 80th anniversary of Victory Day", and a year later the Russian government approved a 53-page celebration plan. The document includes official ceremonies, memorial events, and media campaigns. The culmination of the scenario was supposed to be a military parade on Red Square in Moscow and smaller parades in other cities of the Russian Federation. According to the Russian media, the Russians decided not to hold parades in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine due to the "operational situation". However, this does not mean that there are no "celebrations" in these regions. Under the slogans of "patriotic education" and "memory of the victory over Nazism", Ukrainian children are actively involved in the celebrations.
The Suspilne investigative editorial office has found out how the Russians prepared the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine for Victory Day. The investigative journalists also identified people who, using propaganda rhetoric and violating Ukrainian and international law, develop the idea of war as the norm in Ukrainian children.
"Hold on there, brothers, I will join you as soon as I grow up"
During a meeting of the "Victory" organizing committee on January 15, 2025, Vladimir Putin called "historical truth" to be the main theme of the celebration of the 80th anniversary of the "Great Victory".
"I am convinced that the main, basic theme [...] should be the theme of historical truth. Coverage of the events of the Great Patriotic War, based on archival documents, eyewitness accounts, and scientific knowledge, is of key importance for the formation of a sovereign worldview, civic position, and self-awareness among the younger generation," said the Kremlin leader.
Next day, on January 16, 2025, he signed a decree on the "Year of the defender of the fatherland" — a propaganda campaign aimed at preserving the "historical memory" of the victory in the Great Patriotic War, that is, the war of Nazi Germany against the USSR in 1941-1945.
This was not limited to Russia’s borders: the residents of temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories were also obliged to "remember the war". Even those who have not yet learned to read.
Five-year-old Vladyslav is one of six children in the Lysychansk kindergarten No. 8 "Firefly" in Luhansk region whom the educators involved in celebrations of the "defender of the fatherland day", which is celebrated in Russia on February 23. The video on a social network shows how, with the Russian flags in their hands and in military uniforms, the kids recite poems in honor of the so-called defenders, praising the invincibility of the "motherland" and the "unity of fraternal nations".
Little Vladyslav recited a poem dedicated to the Russian military fighting against Ukraine: "Hold on there, brothers, I will join you as soon as I grow up," says the five-year-old child.
Another child in this kindergarten, 4-year-old Tymur, became the winner of the "Victory poetry" competition, which the teachers organized on April 25, 2025. In a Soviet military uniform and with a St. George ribbon, he recited a poem about victory, "May holidays", and "battle awards of grandfathers".
Before May 9, a photo of another "patriotic initiative" appeared on the kindergarten’s page. As part of the all-Russian campaign "Windows of victory", the institution’s employees decorated the window with images of soldiers from World War II and the so-called "special military operation" (the term used by Russian propaganda to refer to the war in Ukraine — Ed.), mothers with children, veterans, and doves.
"The "Firefly" educators are confident that such projects contribute to the formation of a sense of patriotism and respect for the history and culture of the homeland in children," they added in the caption to the photo.
In addition, the educators, together with the children, made a wall newspaper dedicated to Victory Day, displayed cartoons celebrating victory, and planted trees, which they called "victory seedlings".
Among those who cherish love for the Russian homeland, there are former employees of a Ukrainian kindergarten who taught preschoolers in peaceful Lysychansk before 2022. The city was occupied by the Russians in July 2022.
We have identified at least three "Firefly" employees who now work for the occupiers. Iryna Novikova was a teacher in the "Camomile" group, and Tetiana Levanova worked as her assistant. Olha Berezovska was a teacher of "Dandelions" and "Viburnum" groups.
Children are also being used for pro-Russian propaganda in the temporarily occupied territory of Kherson region. On February 23, 2025, the "Willow" Genichesk kindergarten page on the Russian social network published a post about the so-called "military training" for "defender of the fatherland day". The children performed drill commands, "threw grenades", "rescued the wounded", "demined fields", and even "flew airplanes". The institution’s page describes such actions as a fun and festive holiday that brought "great pleasure to everyone".
Before May 9, the staff of the "Willow" kindergarten also joined the "Windows of victory" campaign: images of doves, St. George ribbons, and flowers appeared on the windows. The kindergarten’s post on the Russian social network states that in this way the children "became better acquainted with the feat of the Soviet people".
Currently, the "Willow" kindergarten is headed by Nataliia Vivtanyk. Before the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion, she worked as the deputy director for educational work and a speech therapist at the Genichesk School No. 3, and as a teacher at the "Teremok" kindergarten. We found this information in Vivtanyk’s old posts on the Russian social network. In 2019-2020, she actively posted her own materials on the Ukrainian platform "Vseosvita", where she shared, in particular, methods for developing speech in preschoolers. In October 2022, she was added to the "Peacemaker" database as a person voluntarily collaborating with the occupation authorities.
Similar events are held in other kindergartens in the occupied part of Kherson region. For example, on the occasion of "defender of the fatherland day", the Novooleksiivka kindergarten, which is also called "Willow", posted photos on the social media. The photos show children making tanks from dishwashing sponges.
On April 16, 2025, the educators of the "Willow" in Novooleksiivka held a solemn event dedicated to the "defenders" and "victory". The children were dressed in Soviet military uniforms and decorated with St. George ribbons. The event opened with the anthem of the Russian Federation, after which a boy, accompanied by two girls, brought the Russian flag, marching to the Soviet music. Then there were military games to the song "Russian aria" with the following lines: "Since childhood, I have dreamed of becoming a soldier to guard peace on our border. The infantry or special forces are waiting for me, or maybe I will say ‘Nobody but us!’ [the slogan of Russian paratroopers]".
Currently, the "Willow" Novooleksiivka kindergarten is headed by Oksana Rezanova. This is stated on the website of the institution, which is under the control of the occupation administration. It is also stated that in 2023 and 2024, Rezanova traveled to Moscow and St. Petersburg for "advanced training" courses and retraining according to the Russian standards.
Rezanova has over 30 years of teaching experience. The Ukrainian website of the kindergarten contains information that before collaborating with the occupiers, Rezanova worked as a teacher-methodologist.
Schoolchildren in military uniforms
In schools in the temporarily occupied territories, the Russians are preparing Ukrainian children for war even more persistently. In Melitopol Secondary School No. 15, which the occupiers named after Yevgraf Komarovsky, the Russian military figure, students are being educated in the spirit of "military patriotism".
On April 25, 2025, a post appeared on the school’s Telegram channel about the all-Russian campaign "Generations remember", within the framework of which Artyom Yeyubov, a senior officer of the military commandant’s office of Zaporizhzhia region, visited the institution. Together with the schoolchildren, some of whom were dressed in military uniforms, he discussed the contribution of the "Soviet people" to the victory in the war of 1941-1945, as well as the course of the war that Russia is waging against Ukraine, and which Russia calls a "special military operation".
A day later, on April 26, the institution’s page on the Russian social network published a photo of students in uniforms with St. George ribbons and the USSR flag. The children were making "peace doves" and were writing a "Victory dictation".
School No. 15 in occupied Melitopol is headed by Nataliia Vahenyk. According to the data from the Unified State Register of Legal Entities, before the full-scale invasion, she was the director of the Yakymivska School in Melitopol district. The Yakymivska School Facebook page has a post from February 17, 2022, just a week before the start of the full-scale war. It tells about a teachers’ meeting and contains a quote from Nataliia Vahenyk:
"The Ukrainian education is going through a difficult path of reform. The level of implementation of the strategy of fundamental educational transformations depends primarily on a motivated teacher who has freedom of creativity and develops professionally. The main goal of the reform is high quality education."
Now, as the head of School No. 15, Vahenyk is involving students in Russian propaganda programs under the guise of "military-patriotic education". For example, at a school event, Ukrainian children marched with the Russian flag and received cadet awards from Vahenyk and a Russian special forces officer with the call sign "Sarmat".
War crimes of teachers
As Andrii Yakovlev, a lawyer and expert at the NGO "Media Initiative for Human Rights", explains, the actions of former Ukrainian teachers and educators who voluntarily implement Russian educational standards, organize pro-Russian events in schools, or impose narratives of the aggressor country on children not only contradict professional ethics, but also have signs of collaborative activity and are subject to criminal punishment under several paragraphs of Article 111-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
In particular, if a teacher carries out propaganda in favor of the aggressor country in an educational institution, promotes Russian narratives, legitimizes the occupation, or implements Russian standards, such actions fall under Part 3, which provides for corrective labor for a term of up to two years, arrest for 6 months, or up to three years of imprisonment, as well as deprivation of the right to hold certain positions or engage in certain activities for 10 to 15 years.
If a teacher holds an administrative position, for example, of a school principal, then this falls under part 5 of Article 111-1, which provides for five to ten years of imprisonment and confiscation of property.
Moreover, participation of teachers in organizing political or information events in cooperation with the occupation administration, for the purpose of supporting the Russian Federation or avoiding its responsibility for aggression, is punishable by imprisonment for 10-20 years according to Part 6 of the aforementioned article.
If the teacher’s actions include ideological indoctrination of preschoolers and students, involvement in propaganda or militarized activities, they may have signs of a war crime, Yakovlev adds.
Thus, according to Article 8 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, a war crime is the recruitment or enlistment of children under the age of fifteen into national armed forces or their use for active participation in hostilities.
"There have already been documented cases when children from Crimea, who were 10-14 years old in 2014, are now being taken prisoners of war while fighting on the side of the Russian Federation. For years, they were raised in conditions of propaganda and deliberately prepared to participate in a war against their own country," Yakovlev noted.
May 9 in destroyed Bakhmut: why Russians need this
In May 2023, the then head of the Wagner private military company, Yevgeny Prigozhin, announced the "capture" of Bakhmut in Donetsk region. However, it was no longer about the city, but about the scorched earth and ruins that remained after the Russian offensive. In two years, normal life has not returned to Bakhmut yet. However, on the eve of May 9, the ruins of the city were carefully decorated for the 80th anniversary of the "great victory".
On May 3, 2025, a video from occupied Bakhmut appeared on the Telegram channel of Russian propagandist Vitaly Kiselyov. The video lasts about a minute: Kiselyov films from the window of a car moving through the city. Despite the poor quality of the footage, the campaign posters for May 9 are clearly visible along the road.
Against the background of festive slogans, the video shows a typical city "liberated" by Russia: destroyed buildings, roads shattered by shelling, and empty streets.
In his post, propagandist Kiselyov cynically expresses confidence in the "soon revival" of Bakhmut and claims that residents will soon return to the city.
In response to our request, the Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council explained that "victory" posters in destroyed Ukrainian cities and Ukrainian children dressed in the uniforms of Soviet soldiers are tools of ideological influence that Russia uses. In this way, the Russians seek to consolidate their presence, impose their version of "historical truth" on people in the captured cities of Ukraine, as well as militarize Ukrainian children and cultivate hatred of Ukraine in them.
"Due to the constant parallels between World War II and the Russian Federation’s modern aggression, May 9 is used to justify the invasion of Ukraine. The occupiers are trying to impose a Soviet-imperial interpretation of the past on Ukrainians and form a "common with the Russian Federation" identity. Mass "celebrations" are intended to distract the population of the temporarily occupied territories from real problems: destroyed infrastructure, humanitarian crisis, and lack of prospects for recovery," the Center commentary says.