Since 2014, the Russian Federation has been instilling a pro-Russian position in Ukrainian children in the temporarily occupied territories. One of the main components of this policy is military and patriotic education.
The Slidstvo.Info journalists identified three Ukrainian women who are currently serving in the Russian army. When the Russians occupied a part of the eastern territories of Ukraine, these ladies were small children. The video has English subtitles.
“LITTLE STAR”
Anna Lisovenko, a 23-year-old resident of Makiivka with the call sign “Zvezdochka” (from Russian “a little star” – transl.), is a telling example of how Russia is training young Ukrainians to become universal soldiers who fight with arms on the side of the Russian Federation.
Anna Lisovenko, a 23-year-old resident of Makiivka with the call sign “Zvezdochka”
“Little Zvezdochka” (also known as “Daughter of the Regiment”) is happy to conduct active outreach activities on social media. In her numerous interviews, Anya never tires of repeating that the war caught her as a child.
A screenshot from the “Zvezdochka’s” page
According to the girl, when the Russians occupied the eastern territories of Ukraine, she started visiting the battalion based near her home. She really wanted to be useful to the people of Russia. She was not recruited for service, but the commander offered her an alternative: she would wash the soldiers’ clothes, clean, collect ammunition and clean their weapons.
Among Anna’s vivid childhood memories is when she found her profile on the Myrotvorets website (a non-governmental organisation that publishes personal data of people considered by the site’s authors to be enemies of Ukraine – ed.). “It was ridiculous,” the girl commented on this case to the propaganda media.
Myrotvorets does have information about Zvezdochka: she appears there as a victim of psychological violence and Russian-terrorist propaganda, and later as a fighter with an illegal armed group.
Anna Lisovenko’s profile on the Myrotvorets website
Among other things, since 2019, the girl has been enrolled in the reserve of the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic Youth Parliament, a propaganda project that trains personnel for the occupation administration.
Since the start of the full-scale invasion, Anna has returned from her studies in Moscow – where she studied economics – to the occupied Donetsk region and joined the Russian international battalion “Pyatnashka”. Since December, Anna has been a volunteer fighter with the occupying subversive assault brigade ‘Veterans’. There, she distributes walkie-talkies and establishes contacts, working as a communications officer.
She posts almost every step she takes on social media. It seems that Anna always has flags of the Russian Federation and the pseudo-republic of the Donetsk People’s Republic in her handbag for emergencies, a few highly pathetic quotes and a stuffed animal – everything she needs to create content for her followers.
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- Photos from Anna’s social media page
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- Photos from Anna’s social media page
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- Photos from Anna’s social media page
Just 9 years of propaganda and an ordinary Ukrainian child has become a rabid defender of the Putin regime.
“DOCHA”, A PATRIOT OF HER REPUBLIC
In one of the photos, “Little Zvezdochka” poses with another victim of Russian propaganda, 16-year-old Bohdana Neshcheret, who goes by the call sign “Docha” (from Russian “a daughter” – transl.). On her VKontakte page, Bohdana posts videos with eloquent statements: “I, Bohdana Romanovna Neshcheret, am a private of the ‘Prizrak’ (from Russian “a ghost” – transl.) brigade. I am a patriot of my Republic”.
16-year-old Bohdana Neshcheret, call sign “Docha”, with “Zvezdochka”
Bohdana is from the city of Alchevsk, Luhansk region. The girl’s father, Roman Neshcheret, worked for the State Security Service under the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine before Russia invaded Donetsk Oblast in 2014. According to the girl, she and her father are currently serving in the aforementioned illegal military formation ‘Prizrak’.
16-year-old Bohdana Neshcheret with the call sign “Docha”
The girl became popular when she was 9 years old thanks to the poems she read to Russian soldiers. Then Bohdana became friends with “Uncle Lesha” – collaborator Oleksiy Mozgov, the commander of Prizrak.
“Docha” with collaborator Oleksiy Mozgov
Bohdana received a second wave of popularity last autumn. The girl from Alchevsk managed to talk to Vladimir Putin. The girl told the Russian dictator about her poetic abilities, and he suggested that she publish a collection.
Apparently, the collection of poems with “odes to Donbas” is going to be published – Bohdana shared sketches of future books on her VKontakte page. It’s a pity that neither the girl nor her parents understand the true cost of such fake recognition.
A post with a sketch of the future collection on Bohdana’s page
“BANTIK” – FROM JOURNALISM TO SERVICE IN THE RUSSIAN ARMY
Another girl who claims to have a great future in propaganda is 20-year-old Nastya Bartenyova from Yenakiyevo, Donetsk Oblast. In 2014, when the Russians occupied the city, she was only 11 years old.
Nastya Barteneva, 20, with the call sign “Bantik”
Anastasia started out as a journalist, but now combines her work as a military correspondent with her service in the Russian army. “I can say that my old dream has come true. I serve in the armed forces of the Russian Federation. I can’t believe it now,” Nastya says on the air of the propaganda show.
Her colleagues in the unit gave her the nickname “Bantik” (from Russian “a bow” – transl.) for her striking look – long nails, eyelash extensions and hair styling. In the war, she is engaged in the repair and accounting of communication equipment. Like “Zvyozdochka”, “Bantik” works as a communications officer.
She also runs a propaganda telegram channel called “Nastyushka na Voinushke” (from Russian “Nastya at war” – transl.).
Post from Nastya’s telegram channel
According to various sources, more than 100,000 Ukrainian children – mostly abducted or fraudulently taken – are currently living in the territories controlled by Russia.
“The Russians are doing everything according to the textbook of genocide, giving children from one ethnic group to another… They are nullifying them as much as possible and erasing their belonging to the Ukrainian nation. They want to raise fighters, some kind of janissaries who will then go against Ukraine,” comments Daria Gerasymchuk, Advisor to the Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights.
Russian propaganda has a ready-made plan for Ukrainian children – to turn them into trained Russian patriots. According to the monitoring of the Almeda Centre for Civic Education, Russia is imposing propaganda on children through the education system, and is also fostering in Ukrainian children a willingness to die for dictator Putin.
The result of Russia’s criminal policy is the stories of bizarre role models such as “Zvezdochka”, “Docha” and “Bantik”.
