YOUTH “MILITARY AND PATRIOTIC” CLUBS IN THE TEMPORARY OCCUPIED TERRITORIES OF DONETSK AND LUHANSK REGIONS: CREATION AND FUNCTIONING FEATURES
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24919/2519-058X.35.332684Abstract
The purpose of the research is to reveal the specifics of the activity of youth “military and patriotic” clubs in the temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The methodology of the research. Due to the historical genetic method of research, it became possible, based on a complex of open sources, to reproduce events in their chronological sequence and analyze the main aspects of the military and patriotic clubs functioning, historical systemic – to consider their activities as part of the system of the military and patriotic education formed by the occupational administrations. Scientific Novelty. In the article there have been made an attempt to analyze the organizational and substantive aspects of the functioning of such clubs, which have been established since 2014 in the temporarily occupied territories of Donbas. Direct military training of minors (with the use of weapons and ammunition) was entrusted to the individuals, who took part in the illegal armed formations with the appropriate content: practical focus (conducting basic military training on a permanent basis, organizing mass events, competitions, military camps, etc.) and ideological work (in particular, forming the image of the enemy, exploiting historical narratives of World War II in a pro-Russian interpretation with reference to the present, etc.). Conclusions. The training of youth in similar organizations, including the holding of events on the territory of the Russian Federation, gives reason to believe that the Russian military political leadership tried, on the one hand, to form a new identity for the population of certain regions of Donbas, and on the other hand, to provide minors with specific knowledge, skills and abilities related to military. The combination of these goals was aimed at the future use local youth as a potential mobilization resource in case of a full-scale invasion on the territory of Ukraine.
Key words: military patriotic education, militarization, military training, ideological work, youth, club, temporarily occupied territory, Ukraine, Donbas, Russian Federation.
References
“Aktivisty patrioticheskogo kluba MVD LNR zastupili na Post № 1 v Hryashevatom” (2017). [Activists of the Patriotic Club of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the LPR stood in at Post No. 1 in Khryashchevate]. URL: https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:pe99J2Ocgy0J:https://lug-info.com/news/aktivisty-patrioticheskogo-kluba-mvd-lnr-zastupili-na-post-1-v-khryaschevatom-foto-24979+&cd=3&hl=uk&ct=clnk&gl=ua [in Russian].
Bækken, H. (2025). Forging Frontline Russians: Militarized Patriotism and Identity Policy in the Occupied Donbas. Communist and Post-Communist Studies, 58 (1), 28–52. DOI: 10.1525/cpcs.2024.2110253 [in English].
Bukhtiiarov, I. (2021). “Hitleriuhend iz bantamy. Yak Rosiia militaryzuie ditei v ‘LDNR’ ta Krymu y chym tse zahrozhuie” [Hitler-Jugend with bows. How Russia is militarizing children in the ‘LDNR’ and Crimea and what is the danger]. URL: https://hromadske.ua/ru/posts/gitleryugend-s-bantami-kak-rossiya-militariziruet-detej-v-ldnr-i-krymu-i-chem-eto-grozit [in Ukrainian].
Burov, S., Lazarenko, O., Ianova, G., Nekrasova, A., & Shcherbachenko, V. (2016). Involvement of children in armed formations during the military conflict in Donbas. Warsaw: Eastern-Ukrainian centre for civic initiatives. [in English].
Chekhovska, M., & Nychytailo, І. (2016). Pravovi aspekty vtiahnennia nepovnolitnikh do uchasti u boiovykh diiakh [Legal aspects of involvement of minors in hostilities]. Pidpryiemnytstvo, hospodarstvo i pravo – Entrepreneurship, economy and law, 8, 150–154 [in Ukrainian].
Denisova, L. (2022a). “Okupatsiina vlada ‘LDNR’ mobilizuie ditei: vzhe ye zahybli” [The occupying power ‘LDNR’ is mobilizing children: there are already dead]. URL: https://www.5.ua/suspilstvo/okupatsiina-vlada-ldnr-mobilizuie-ditei-vzhe-ie-zahybli-denisova-274594.html [in Ukrainian].
Denisova, L. (2022b). “Rosiia vtiahuie u boiovi dii pidlitkiv iz ORDLO, ye zahyblyi” [Russia involves teenagers with ORDLO in hostilities, there is a dead person]. URL: https://nv.ua/ukr/ukraine/events/viyna-rosiji-proti-ukrajini-rf-vtyaguye-u-boyovi-diji-pidlitkiv-z-ordlo-50235542.html [in Ukrainian].
“Glava DNR i rukovodstvo Ministerstva molodezhi, sporta i turizma otvetili na voprosy yunarmejcev”. (2020). [The head of the DPR and the leadership of the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Tourism answered the questions of the young soldiers]. URL: https://pravdnr.ru/news/glava-dnr-i-rukovodstvo-ministerstva-molodezhi-sporta-i-turizma-otvetili-na-voprosy-yunarmejczev/ [in Russian].
Klymenko, O. (2019). Zaluchennia ditei do uchasti v zbroinykh konfliktakh: modeli ta metody verbuvannia (ukrainskyi dosvid) [Involving Children in Military Conflicts, Models and Methods of Recruitment (Ukrainian Experience)]. Соціологічні студії – Sociological studies, 2 (15), 13–20 [in Ukrainian].
Klymkovetskyi, M. (2022). “rosiia vtiahuie u viinu pidlitkiv z tymchasovo okupovanykh terytorii Ukrainy” [Russia involves teenagers from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine in the war]. URL: https://hromadske.ua/posts/rosiya-vtyaguye-u-vijnu-pidlitkiv-z-timchasovo-okupovanih-teritorij-ukrayini-denisova [In Ukrainian].
Koval, M. (Ed.) (2023). Theoretical and applied aspects of the Russian-Ukrainian war: hybrid aggression and national resilience. Kharkiv: Тесhnology Сеntеr PC. DOI: 10.15587/978-617-8360-00-9 [in English].
Lesko, N. (2017). Problemy zakhystu ditei vid nasylstva pid chas voiennykh dii ta zbroinykh konfliktiv [Problems of protection of children of violence after military action and armed conflicts]. Науковий вісник Ужгородського національного університету – Scientific Bulletin of the Uzhhorod National University, 46 (1), 161–164 [in Ukrainian].
Lysianskyi, P. (2021). Okkupaciya RF podrastayushego pokoleniya v ORDLO. Chast 1. Militarizaciya [Occupation of the Russian Federation by the younger generation in ORDLO. Part 1. Militarization].
URL: https://lb.ua/blog/pavel_lisianskiy/491073_okkupatsiya_rf_podrastayushchego.html [in Russian].
Office of the Prosecutor General, Ukraine. (2021). “Navchannia ditei rukopashnomu boiu i korystuvanniu zbroieiu – na Donechchyni sudytymut zasnovnyka viiskovo-patriotychnykh klubiv DNR” [Teaching children hand-to-hand combat and the use of weapons – the founder of the military-patriotic clubs ‘DNR’ will be tried in Donetsk region]. URL: https://www.gp.gov.ua/ua/posts/navcannya-ditei-rukopasnomu-boyu-i-koristuvannyu-zbrojeyu-na-doneccini-suditimut-zasnovnika-viiskovo-patrioticnix-klubiv-dnr [in Ukrainian].
Oliinyk, H., & Bækken, H. (2023). Military-Patriotic Infrastructure of the Russian Proxy Republics in Eastern Ukraine (2014 – 2022). URL: https://fhs.brage.unit.no/fhs-xmlui/handle/11250/3101161 [in English].
Pashkova, O. (2021). Russian hybrid impact on military-patriotic education in Ukraine (2010 – 2013). Current issues of military specialists training in the security and defence sector under conditions of hybrid threats. Warsaw: Wydawnictwo Instytutu Bezpieczeństwa i Rozwoju Międzynarodowego. [in English].
Pashkova, O. (2022a). Militaryzatsiia molodi yak skladova rosiiskoi polityky na tymchasovo okupovanykh terytoriiakh Donetskoi i Luhanskoi oblastei [Militarization of youth as a component of Russian policy in the temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions]. Abstracts of Papers ’21: Hibrydna ahresiia Rosiiskoi Federatsii: dosvid protydii Ukrainy, naslidky dlia Yevropy, (pp. 54–59). Kyiv. [in Ukrainian].
Pashkova, O. (2022b). Mobilizatsiia molodi tymchasovo okupovanykh terytorii Donetskoi i Luhanskoi oblastei (liutyi–berezen 2022 roku) [Mobilization of youth in the temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions (February–March 2022)]. Abstracts of Papers ’22: Sektor bezpeky i oborony Ukrainy na zakhysti natsionalnykh interesiv: aktualni problemy ta zavdannia v umovakh voiennoho stanu, (pp. 516–518). Khmelnytskyi. [in Ukrainian].
Pashkova, O. (2023a). Voienizovani tabory dlia nepovnolitnikh na tymchasovo okupovanykh terytoriiakh Donetskoi i Luhanskoi oblastei: orhanizatsiinyi i zmistovyi aspekty roboty [Military camps for minors in the temporary occupied territories of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions: organizational and content aspects of the work]. Ukrainskyi istorychnyi zhurnal – Ukrainian Historical Journal, 1 (568), 20–35. DOI: 10.15407/ukristj.568.01.020 [in Ukrainian].
Pashkova, O. (2023b). “Vaterlandsverteidiger”. Wehrerziehung im okkupierten Donbass [“Defender of the Fatherland”. Military training in occupied Donbass]. OSTEUROPA, 73 (10–11), 75–84. DOI: 10.35998/oe-2023-073 [in German].
Pashkova, O. (2024). Forced mobilization of student youth of the temporary occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions at the beginning of full-scale invasion of Russian Federation in Ukraine. New Perspectives: Interdisciplinary Journal of Central & East European Politics and International Relation, 32 (2), 199–208. DOI: 10.1177/2336825X241230937 [in English].
“postanovlenie soveta ministrov luganskoj narodnoj respubliki ot 27.12.2016 № 723 ob utverzhdenii gosudarstvennoj celevoj programmy ‘patrioticheskoe vospitanie podrastayushego pokoleniya luganskoj narodnoj respubliki na 2016–2020 gody’” [resolution of the council of ministers of the luhansk people's republic dated 27.12.2016 No. 723 on the approval of the state target program ‘patriotic education of the growing generation of the luhansk people's republic for 2016-2020’].
“postanovlenie doneckoj narodnoj respubliki ot 30.04.2020 № 22-3 ‘Ob utverzhdenii respublikanskoj programmy patrioticheskogo vospitaniya grazhdan doneckoj narodnoj respubliki na 2020 – 2022 gody’” [“resolution of the donetsk people’s republic of 30.04.2020 No. 22-3 ‘on approval of the republican program for patriotic education of citizens of the donetsk people’s republic for 2020–2022]. URL:https://pravdnr.ru/npa/postanovlenie-pravitelstva-doneczkoj-narodnoj-respubliki-ot-30-aprelya-2020-goda-%E2%84%96-22-3-ob-utverzhdenii-respublikanskoj-programmy-patrioticheskogo-vospitaniya-grazhdan-doneczkoj-narodnoj/ [in Russian].
Romantsova, S. (2020). Osoba zlochyntsia-terorysta: kryminolohichnyi ohliad [The terrorist identity: a criminological review]. Visegrad Journal on Human Rights, 1 (4), 134–138 [in Ukrainian].
“Tropa razvedchika – 2019” (2019). [Path of the scout – 2019]. URL: http://web.archive.org/web/20220512172431/http://patriot-donetsk.ru:80/25094-tropa-razvedchika-2019.html [in Russian].
“Vladimir Antonov posetil polevye sbory yunarmejcev” (2021). [Vladimir Antonov visited field gatherings of young army men]. URL: https://pravdnr.ru/news/vladimir-antonov-posetil-polevye-sbory-yunarmejczev/ [in Russian].
Vyshnevskyi, Yu. Demohrafiia ORDLO [Demographics of ORDLO]. URL: https://www.dsnews.ua/static/longread/donbas-ukr/demographiya-ordlo.html [in Ukrainian].
“Yunye luganchane rasskazali o patriotizme i lyubvi k Rodine” (2022). [Young people from Luhansk spoke about patriotism and love for the Motherland]. URL: http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:K9uG4lu-CQYJ:https://armystandard.ru/news/2022218913-FzApU.html&hl=uk&gl=ua&strip=1&vwsrc=0 [in Russian].
Zubchenko, S. (2016). Dity viiny: yak Rosiia zaluchaie ukrainsku molod iz tymchasovo okupovanykh terytorii do terorystychnoi diialnosti [How Russia Enlists Ukrainian Youth from the Temporarily Occupied Territories in Terrorist Activities]. URL: https://zn.ua/ukr/internal/diti-viyni-yak-rosiya-zaluchaye-ukrayinsku-molod-iz-timchasovo-okupovanih-teritoriydo-teroristichnoyi-diyalnosti-_.html [in Ukrainian].
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.