Instead of peace, Russia invests in preparing youth for future wars. Ukraine’s Center for Disinformation Countering has reported that over a hundred teenagers aged 14–18 were sent to a Russian military camp in occupied Luhansk Oblast, a part of Donbas along with Donetsk Oblast, where they were trained in shooting, drill exercises, and guard duty.

Children’s camps: What happens inside?

Teenagers were dressed in Soviet military-style uniforms and engaged in exercises involving tanks, artillery, and anti-tank obstacles. They spent ten days in the camp, learning shooting skills, military drills, and basic guard duties.

Participants came from so-called “military-patriotic clubs” in the Luhansk People’s Republic, the illegal Russian-backed entity on Ukraine’s territory, banned by Kyiv. These camps reflect the Kremlin’s systematic approach: instead of pursuing peace, it invests in future generations to prepare them for upcoming wars.

Impact on Luhansk Oblast

As of 2025, over 95% of Luhansk Oblast is under Russian occupation. Regional infrastructure is almost entirely destroyed: most residential buildings are damaged or demolished, while water, electricity, and mobile networks operate intermittently.

Russian occupiers forcibly issue passports to locals and maintain strict control over communities.

Danger for European nations

According to the agencyn, these camps are not mere training programs but a propaganda tool: teens are conditioned to military discipline and taught to hate Ukraine. The Kremlin is grooming a new generation of “cannon fodder” while simultaneously demonstrating unrestrained military aggression.

This strategy threatens not only Ukraine but European stability as well, since children raised in such environments could become participants in future combat operations. 

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