HOW RUSSIA IS BRAINWASHING UKRAINIAN CHILDREN
Over the past three-plus years of its war on Ukraine, the Kremlin has kidnapped thousands of Ukrainian children, transferring them to Russia as part of what Kremlin officials have likened to "protective custody." What happens to these minors next, though, is not generally well understood. However, details about the "reeducation camps" run by Russian authorities in an attempt to strip Ukrainian identity from these children are steadily mounting. A recent interview conducted by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty with one young Ukrainian seized in 2022 by Russian forces has laid out how Moscow is methodically brainwashing Ukrainian children and turning them against their home country.
According to the young man, Vladyslav Rudenko, he and hundreds of other children from eastern Ukraine were stripped of all materials identifying them as Ukrainian, and subsequently transported to the Russian city of Yevpatoria. There, they were housed in a spa that had been repurposed into a training center aimed at erasing their national identity. Rudenko and the other youngsters then "spent nine months there undergoing Russian military-style training and education in Russian language, culture, and patriotic ideology," RFE/RL details.
The regimen to which Rudenko and his cohort was exposed to included daily recitations of the Russian national anthem, the raising of the Russian flag, regular education about Russian current events, and the forcible wearing of Russian military uniforms. "It was constantly a vicious cycle where nothing changes," Rudenko says. "This is a very large pro-Russian machine, and it was very difficult." He only escaped thanks to the efforts of a Ukrainian NGO, which liberated him and other children from the facility at Yevpatoria. (RFE/RL, April 24, 2025)
THE SVR WANTS AN ALLIANCE WITH WASHINGTON... AGAINST "EUROFASCISM"
Russia's foreign intelligence service is seeking international partners in its fight against European "totalitarianism" – and is looking to enlist the United States to its cause. On April 16th, the SVR issued a public press release warning about the dangers of what it termed "Eurofascism," and appealing to America to create an alliance against it. "Europe has always had a soft spot for totalitarianism," the statement charges, accompanied by propaganda graphics depicting European Commission president Ursula Von Der Leyen as Adolf Hitler. The statement also singles out the UK, charging that "British 'liberal imperialism' is more destructive than fascism." "It's no wonder that London now plays a leading role in prolonging the West's war in Ukraine," it states.
What does the SVR envision as a response? "As Washington drifts from Brussels, it's again finding itself inching closer to Moscow, not for the first time," the missive reads. "They've been partners before in opposing Paris and London, such as during the Suez Crisis or the Crimean War. Some foreign analysts are hopeful that Russia and the U.S. might once again join forces — this time to avert a broader global conflict and push back against the provocations of Ukraine and the deranged Europeans, spurred on by Britain." (Meduza, April 18, 2025)
RUSSIA THREATENS ITS NEIGHBORS ANEW
Russia's war against Ukraine has been accompanied by no shortage of saber-rattling, as Kremlin officials seek to shape Western behavior and deter support for Ukraine through the threat of nuclear escalation. The latest such threat comes from former president Dmitry Medvedev, now the deputy chairman of Russia's national security council. In recent comments carried by the TASS news agency, Medvedev warned Sweden and Finland that their recent accession to the NATO alliance has made them the targets of Russian retaliation in the event of a conflict. "They are part of a bloc hostile to us, which means they have automatically become targets for our armed forces, including potential retaliatory strikes and even a nuclear component, or preventive measures within the framework of military doctrine," he stated. "They have simply ended up in the crosshairs of our armed forces. Has life become better for them? No! These are political games." (New York Post, April 29, 2025)
THINKING BEYOND PUTIN
At the moment, European officials are busy formulating their responses to Russian aggression against Ukraine, and bolstering their support for Kyiv as the Trump administration steps back. But more and more, officials on the continent are beginning to take a long view on dealing with Russia – and seeking a strategy to navigate relations with the state once current Russian president Vladimir Putin leaves the political scene. "Russia is not just Putin," Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker told Euronews on the sidelines of the recent EPP Congress in Valencia, Spain. "Dealing with Putin is extremely difficult, but Russia will still be there when he’s no longer in power."
What does this mean? "For now, we see Russia as a threat — Austria included — due to its destabilising actions and disinformation campaigns targeting Western democracies." Stocker said. "Right now, Russia is not a partner. But that won't always be the case — leaders don't stay in power forever." (Euronews, May 8, 2025)
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