Russians force Ukrainian children in occupied territories to take oath of loyalty

Kremlin occupiers are forcing Ukrainian children in occupied territories to swear allegiance to Russia, the National Resistance Center (NRC) reported. The latest case was documented in the Donetsk regional city of Mariupol.

Over the weekend, more than 200 children, aged 12 years and older, from the Nakhimov Naval School – a branch of the Nakhimov Naval Military School recently established by the Russians in Mariupol – were forced to take an oath of loyalty to the Russian Federation.

“This year’s ‘action’ of dedication took place for the first time,” the NRC report said.

The majority of the “cadets” at the school are children who either live in difficult conditions or have lost their parents due to Russia’s unprovoked full-scale invasion of Ukraine. 

Currently, 240 pupils study here. 

“However, the occupation authorities of the Kremlin plan to double the number of students in schools with military training by the end of this school year. In temporarily occupied Mariupol, there should be at least 500 students,” the NRC said.

The military indoctrination of children in the occupied territories is another tactic to cultivate a generation of “military loyalty to terrorist Russia.”

According to the fourth Geneva Convention, “the population in occupied territory cannot be forced to enlist in the occupier’s armed forces.”

The NRC called Russia’s actions a “crime” in its report.