November 21, 2024

Serve Your New Motherland


Serve Your New Motherland
Members of the Yunarmiya at the parade in Moscow in honor of the 74th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War. Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation, Wikimedia Commons

Russian authorities are using schools, summer camps, and "patriotic" events to introduce militaristic ideology to children in occupied Ukrainian territories, according to leaked documents obtained by Radio Liberty's Ukrainian service.

The documents reveal efforts by the Russian occupation administrations to integrate Ukrainian youth into the Yunarmiya (Youth Army), a militarized organization preparing them to fight as part of Russia's military forces.

One such individual is Ilya Zozulsky, a native of the Crimean village of Poltavka and a former member of the Yunarmiya. Russian media reported that Zozulsky now serves as an artilleryman in the Russian military and has been awarded the Zhukov Medal for participating in the Russian war in Ukraine

The Yunarmiya, established in Crimea in 2016, expanded to newly occupied territories following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In 2022, Russian patriotic education camps began operating in captured areas of Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk, and Donetsk regions. Before this, a similar organization, the Voenno-patrioticheskoe dvizhenie “Molodaya-Gvardiya-Yunarmiya” (Military-Patriotic Movement "Young Guard-Youth Army") had operated in the occupied Luhansk and Donetsk regions, which have been under Russian-backed separatist control since 2014. In May 2019, 77 teenagers in Donetsk were inducted into this organization pledging allegiance to the self-proclaimed DNR (Donetsk People’s Republic).

In 2023, Yunarmiya centers were established in Donetsk and Luhansk schools, providing facilities for firearms and sports training. The Mariupol headquarters of the Yunarmiya held seven training shifts at the Iskrennost (Sincerity) children’s camp in the resort village of Melekino, on the shore of the Sea of Azov, during the summer of 2024. During these shifts, children were trained to use machine guns.

You Might Also Like

What's Your Score?
  • July 15, 2024

What's Your Score?

A Moscow university hopes to create a social score system like China's. 
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals
[INVALID]
[INVALID]

Some of our Books

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka
November 01, 2012

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

In this comprehensive, quixotic and addictive book, Edwin Trommelen explores all facets of the Russian obsession with vodka. Peering chiefly through the lenses of history and literature, Trommelen offers up an appropriately complex, rich and bittersweet portrait, based on great respect for Russian culture.

Murder at the Dacha
July 01, 2013

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.

The Latchkey Murders
July 01, 2015

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...

Little Golden Calf
February 01, 2010

Little Golden Calf

Our edition of The Little Golden Calf, one of the greatest Russian satires ever, is the first new translation of this classic novel in nearly fifty years. It is also the first unabridged, uncensored English translation ever, and is 100% true to the original 1931 serial publication in the Russian journal 30 Dnei. Anne O. Fisher’s translation is copiously annotated, and includes an introduction by Alexandra Ilf, the daughter of one of the book’s two co-authors.

Woe From Wit (bilingual)
June 20, 2017

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.

Bears in the Caviar
May 01, 2015

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.

Russian Rules
November 16, 2011

Russian Rules

From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.

A Taste of Russia
November 01, 2012

A Taste of Russia

The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine has been totally updated and redesigned in a 30th Anniversary Edition. Layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context, A Taste of Russia includes over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to blini, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies. A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Full of great quotes from Russian literature about Russian food and designed in a convenient wide format that stays open during use.

Survival Russian
February 01, 2009

Survival Russian

Survival Russian is an intensely practical guide to conversational, colloquial and culture-rich Russian. It uses humor, current events and thematically-driven essays to deepen readers’ understanding of Russian language and culture. This enlarged Second Edition of Survival Russian includes over 90 essays and illuminates over 2000 invaluable Russian phrases and words.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955