The destruction of Ukraine’s educational environment by state organs of the Russian Federation

Abstract

This article was written as part of the preparations for a presentation at the International Scientific Conference "Rights of Ukrainian Victims of the Russian Invasion of Ukraine," which is scheduled to take place on February 20, 2026, in Paris. It addresses the unprecedented scale of destruction of all international legal mechanisms for maintaining world peace, as well as the destruction of the educational environment aimed at eradicating Ukrainian identity. In the occupied territories, Russian aggressors carry out the Russification and indoctrination of children and youth, subjecting Ukrainian educators and scientists to repression. Unoccupied territories of Ukraine undergo purposeful destruction through the shelling of schools, preschools, universities, and other institutions.

The article provides examples of international law violations by the Russian authorities in the field of education within occupied Ukrainian territories, which has jeopardized the right to education in Ukraine as a fundamental human right in all its aspects. It is noted that this constitutes a gross violation of Article 50 of the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War. The text highlights the material consequences of military aggression, including the number of destroyed educational institutions and the misuse of educational facilities by repurposing them into hospitals, torture chambers, or military headquarters.

According to official statistics as of January 23, 2026, military actions have resulted in the deaths of 679 children, with 2,342 wounded and 2,216 missing; 20,000 children have been deported to Russia from occupied territories, where they undergo forced re-education. The illegal policy of child deportation is an act of genocide, while the implementation of Russian standards in the educational process and the forced Russification of ethnic Ukrainian children and their parents qualify as racial discrimination. Simultaneously, Ukrainian teachers and scientists who refuse to cooperate with occupational educational programs face repression. Since the beginning of the aggression in 2022, educational institutions have been systematically destroyed by shelling, and the premises of schools and kindergartens have been used by occupiers as military barracks or sites for torture. In the occupied territories, in violation of international legal norms, Russians have launched large-scale activities aimed at Russification, the forced filling of children's minds with Russian imperial narratives of history and culture, and the militarization of education.

Key words: destruction of the educational environment, children of war, international law, repression, victims of war.