News from occupied Ukraine: Treason accusations in Crimea, doctor shortages, Tor missile system destroyed
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This weekly update from the Kyiv Independent aims to shed light on the situation facing Ukrainians living under Russian occupation and the ever-tightening control of information imposed by the Kremlin.
Key news as of April 11:
- More than 580,000 Ukrainian children forced to study in schools under Russian occupation
- Crimean woman accused of treason, sent for psychiatric examination
- Occupied part of Luhansk Oblast faces acute shortage of doctors, teachers, civil servants
- Ukraine disables last ferry in Kerch Strait supplying Russian forces in occupied Crimea, military intelligence says
- Ukrainian drones strike Tor missile system in occupied Donetsk Oblast, General Staff says
- Ukraine brings back four children from Russian-occupied territories
More than 580,000 Ukrainian children have been forced to study in schools under Russian standards in Ukraine's occupied territories, Mykola Kuleba, former Presidential Commissioner for Children's Rights, said on April 8.
Kuleba, citing a report of the Center for Civic Education "Almenda," said that during the 2025–2026 academic year, 1,980 schools are operating under Russian standards in the occupied territories with more than 582,000 Ukrainian children forced to study "under pressure and fear."
He said that parents are forced to send their children to Russian schools under the threat of losing parental rights.
Occupational authorities are trying to erase the Ukrainian identity through education, Kuleba said. The Ukrainian language and history have been removed from the curriculum and teenagers are not allowed to express pro-Ukrainian views, as this can lead to persecution.
"Children are systematically indoctrinated with a different worldview — one in which the country they were born in and lived in before the war no longer exists... The occupier is counting on a 'silent generation' that will eventually forget its home," Kuleba said.
Kuleba also emphasized that hundreds of thousands of children have already been involved in the all-Russian military-patriotic organization "Youth Army" (Yunarmiya) and the "Movement of the First."
These organizations are designed to prepare children and teenagers for service in the Russian army and later become involved in the fight against their own country.
Occupied part of Luhansk Oblast faces acute shortage of doctors, teachers, and civil servants
The occupied part of Luhansk Oblast has been facing a shortage of specialists in several fields, Ukraine's Luhansk Oblast Military Administration reported on April 10.
"There is an acute shortage of doctors, teachers, and civil servants," the Luhansk Oblast Military Administration wrote on Facebook.
According to the data provided, the shortage of personnel amounts to 2,900 people in the public administration sector, 2,800 people in education, and 2,500 people in healthcare.
It added that a surplus of labor has emerged in the mining industry with the closure of coal-mining enterprises.
Some parts of Luhansk Oblast were occupied by Russia in 2014. The Russian-controlled so-called Luhansk People's Republic has been facing a shortage for years since the occupation and over time, the situation has only worsened, the Luhansk Oblast Military Administration added.
Crimean woman accused of treason, sent for psychiatric examination
Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) has charged Crimean resident Sakha Mangubi with high treason after holding her incommunicado for more than a year, while also ordering her forced placement in a psychiatric hospital, according to statements by Russia's Federal Security Service and human rights groups.
The FSB said it detained a 25-year-old resident of Crimea's Simferopol district, who was allegedly collecting information on Russian military facilities for Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR), as reported by the Russian independent media outlet Mediazona on April 8.
The report says that Mangubi collected information about the location of Russian troops in Russian-occupied Crimea and Russia's Kuban, and naval movements in the Kerch Strait. She was also accused of being involved in coordinating a missile strike on the Port Kavkaz facility in Russia's Krasnodar Krai.
A Telegram channel that documents human rights violations in Crimea called The Tribunal. The Crimean Episode, reported on April 6 that investigators ordered Mangubi to undergo a compulsory inpatient psychiatric examination, requiring her transfer to a psychiatric hospital for up to six weeks.
Because of this, Mangubi was unable to attend a recent court hearing on the extension of her pre-trial detention, raising concerns about violations of both Russian legal standards and international fair trial guarantees.
Forced psychiatric hospitalization in such cases may amount to cruel treatment and could qualify as torture if intentional, The Tribunal. The Crimean Episode, wrote.
Mangubi, a Karaite national and mother of two, was detained in November 2024, but her whereabouts remained unknown for months. Relatives learned in late 2025 that she was being held in the pre-trial detention center SIZO-2 in Simferopol under conditions of isolation.
During that period, Russian authorities denied holding her, and police refused to investigate her reported abduction.
Ukraine disables last ferry in Kerch Strait supplying Russian forces in occupied Crimea, military intelligence says
Ukrainian forces disabled the "Slavyanin" railway ferry, the last vessel of this kind operating in the Kerch Strait to supply the Russian army in occupied Crimea, Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) said on April 8.
The Ukrainian drone strike overnight on April 6 put a ferry out of service that had previously been attacked in March but had remained afloat until then.
HUR did not provide details on the extent of the ferry's damage, saying only that it is no longer operational. The Kyiv Independent could not verify the claims independently.
The ferry was a key supply route for the Russian army on the occupied peninsula, transporting fuel, lubricants, weapons, military equipment, and ammunition, according to HUR.
Ukrainian drones strike Tor missile system in occupied Donetsk Oblast, General Staff says
Ukrainian drones struck a Tor M1 anti-aircraft missile system and a range of other military targets in the occupied part of Donetsk Oblast, the General Staff said on April 9.
Logistics depots near Mykilske, a drone depot near Orlynske, and a Tor M1 missile system near the village of Kalchynivka were hit.
Additionaly, in Luhansk Oblast, a logistics depot in Perevalsk and an ammunition depot in the Trudove area were also struck.
Ukraine regularly strikes military infrastructure deep inside Russia and the occupied territories in an effort to diminish Moscow's capacity to continue waging war on Ukraine.
Kyiv considers these facilities to be valid military targets, as the energy sites provide fuel and funding for the Kremlin's war machine.
Ukraine brings back four children from Russian-occupied territories
Four children and teenagers have been rescued from Russian occupation over the past week, Save Ukraine, a Ukrainian humanitarian NGO, announced on April 7.
"Each of these young people has endured a difficult journey marked by threats, coercion, and hostile propaganda — and today, they are finally safe," Save Ukraine said.
Among the rescued children is 17-year-old Serhii, who was forced to attend a Russian school when his family was threatened with deportation, and his mother risked losing her parental rights, Save Ukraine wrote. During a forced medical examination, Serhii was handed a draft notice. To save their son from being taken to fight in the Russia's army, the family fled the occupied territories.
Oleksandr Prokudin, Kherson Oblast Governor, said that Serhii lived in the Russian-occupied part of the southern Kherson Oblast.
In occupied territories, Ukrainians are forced to take Russian passports and register for military service, which in turn allows Russia to draft them to fight against their own country.
Last week, on April 2, Save Ukraine announced that eight children and teenagers were rescued from Russian occupation.
According to Ukraine's national "Children of War" database, at least 20,000 Ukrainian children have been abducted from Russian-occupied territories and taken to Russia or Russian-controlled areas since February 2022. Some 1.6 million remain under Russian occupation, according to Bring Kids Back UA.
Ukrainian officials estimate the real figure of abducted children could be far higher. Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets puts the number at up to 150,000, while Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights Daria Herasymchuk has given a range of 200,000–300,000.
Note from the author:
Hi! This is Yuliia.
Reporting about the Russian-occupied territories is not easy, as journalists cannot safely travel there and report from the ground because of the threat of being detained and killed.
But we at the Kyiv Independent are trying to bring more news about it in whichever way possible. If you have any questions regarding the occupied territories, write to my email address, and we would be happy to answer them.
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Yuliia Taradiuk
Yuliia Taradiuk
