Putin's youth army: How Russia is turning kids into soldiers

by Iryna Matviyishyn and Olena Zashko October 25, 2023 12:33 PM 1 min read

This audio is created with AI assistance

Russia has extensively militarized children to instill loyalty among the younger generation towards Vladimir Putin and his expansionist ideology. From alternative history at school to training in combat skills, Moscow has employed its military-patriotic education both on Russian and Ukrainian children in occupied territories.

Authors: Iryna Matviyishyn, Olena Zashko

News Feed

3:47 AM

(Updated: July 9, 2025 5:45 am)

Russia launches mass missile, drone attack, targets Ukrainian cities far from front line.

Russia launched another mass missile and drone attack overnight on July 9, targeting Ukrainian cities, including in the country's far-west regions located hundreds of kilometers from the front line.

5:29 AM

EU mulls creating 100 billion euro fund for Ukraine in next budget, Bloomberg reports.

The European Union is considering establishing a fund for Ukraine worth 100 billion euros ($117 billion) in the next seven-year EU budget, Bloomberg reported on July 8, citing sources familiar with the proposal.

2:17 AM

Trump mulls sending Kyiv another Patriot air defense system, WSJ reports.

If approved, it would mark the first time Trump has sent a major military aid package to Kyiv that wasn't previously greenlighted by Joe Biden.

1:10 AM

Ukraine synchronizes restrictions on Russia with EU sanctions.

The European Union's 15th, 16th, and 17th packages of sanctions against Russia are now "fully effective in Ukraine," President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on July 8.

11:30 PM

Ukraine's 2026 budget could face $19B shortfall as Europe weighs how to fill the gap, FT reports.

The financial hole in Ukraine's budget is linked to reduced U.S. support and the lack of prospects for a swift ceasefire with Russia that Europe had hoped for, the Financial Times reported.

11:08 PM

Ukraine's ambassador to US will be replaced, foreign minister confirms.

"She is extremely effective and charismatic, but surely every diplomat has a rotation cycle," Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said of Ambassador Oksana Markarova.

10:28 PM

Ukraine's Naftogaz brings new high-yield gas well online as country reserves run low.

The 5.7-kilometer deviated well was drilled and commissioned six weeks ahead of schedule as Ukraine works to boost domestic production amid Russian attacks on its energy infrastructure, including gas storage facilities in western Ukraine.

10:18 PM

ICC issues arrest warrants for Taliban leaders as Russia recognizes their legitimacy.

In a statement, the ICC named Taliban supreme leader Haibatullah Akhundzada and Afghanistan's top judge Abdul Hakim Haqqani as suspects in a campaign of systematic oppression targeting women, girls, and others who do not conform to the group's rigid gender ideology.

10:17 PM

US only has 25% of Patriot missiles needed for war plans, Guardian reports.

According to officials familiar with the matter, the Pentagon's munitions tracker showed Patriot interceptor stocks had dipped below acceptable levels. That prompted concerns that sending more to Ukraine could put U.S. defense readiness at risk.

10:03 PM

War update

Ukraine war latest: Trump reportedly pledges to send 10 Patriot missiles to Ukraine, asks Germany to send battery.

9:04 PM

Putin throws 'a lot of bullsh*t', Trump says as he 'looks strongly' at Russia sanctions bill.

Trump also addressed U.S. legislation on sanctions, saying the Senate's Russia sanctions bill was "totally optional" for him to implement or terminate. "I'm looking at it very strongly," Trump said.

8:38 PM

Ukrainian businesses outraged as government blocks economic crimes bureau chief nominee.

Ukraine's Cabinet of Ministers rejected a nominee to lead the economic crimes agency, drawing swift criticism from lawmakers and businesses over alleged interference in the selection process.

7:17 PM

Russia's crude exports fall to lowest level since February.

Seaborne crude flows averaged 3.12 million barrels a day over the four weeks to July 6, a 3% decline from the previous period ending June 29, according to tanker-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg. That's the lowest level recorded since the four-week period ending Feb. 23.

7:02 PM

War analysis

Dnipropetrovsk village likely contested despite Russia's claim of its capture

6:19 PM

Three men convicted in London arson plot tied to Russia's Wagner Group.

The ringleader, Dylan Earl, 21, had already pleaded guilty to aggravated arson over the 2024 blaze targeting companies that were supplying Elon Musk's Starlink satellite equipment to Ukraine.

5:15 PM

Trump reportedly pledges to send 10 Patriot missiles to Ukraine, asks Germany to send battery.

During the call with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, U.S. President Donald Trump proposed that Germany sell one of its own Patriot batteries to Ukraine.

4:28 PM

Business

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Opinion

Seeing war through the lens of narcissism

3:58 PM

Ukraine sanctions 5 Chinese firms for supplying components used in Russian drones.

The decree follows a publication by Ukraine's Security Service (SBU), which said it recovered Chinese-made parts from downed Shahed drones during a July 4 air assault on Kyiv.

3:52 PM

Opinion

How to enter Ukraine’s defense market: A short guide for foreign companies

3:27 PM

Interview

'Some are forged into poets during hostilities' — Medic, former POW, and poet on how war is shaping Ukraine's writers

3:16 PM

Putin signs decree allowing foreigners to serve in Russian army during mobilization.

Russian President Vladimir Putin's partial mobilization decree from Sept. 21, 2022, remains in force and has never been formally rescinded.

3:12 PM

'Torture was not just cruel, it was inhuman' — Ukrainian soldier dies weeks after release from Russian captivity.

Soldier Valery Zelensky had spent 39 months in Russian captivity. Just 22 days later, on June 16, his heart stopped.

2:18 PM

(Updated: July 8, 2025 3:08 pm)

Europe's largest port prepares for NATO arms shipments, potential war with Russia.

Rotterdam has previously handled weapons shipments, but this marks the first time that it will designate a special berth for military use.

9:56 AM

(Updated: July 8, 2025 3:03 pm)

Russia's Black Sea Fleet shrinks presence in key Crimean bay, Ukrainian partisans say.

The remaining combat units are periodically rotated and redeployed in an apparent effort to avoid detection by Ukrainian reconnaissance, the Atesh partisan group said.

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