Russia using schools in occupied Ukraine to pressure parents into taking Russian passports
A school damaged by a Russian military strike in Avdiyivka (Photo:REUTERS/Stringer)
Russia is using schools in the Temporarily Occupied Territories (TOT) as a means of pressure on Ukrainians, said Southern Ukrainian Defense Forces spokesperson, Natalia Humeniuk, during the United News telethon on Sep. 2.
The Russians "demand (Ukrainian) children attend special educational institutions," said Humeniuk. “If parents refuse to send their children to the designated educational institutions, Russians pressure the parents and restrict their access to medical, social, and humanitarian services.”
Some of the educational institutions to which Ukrainians are forced to send their children function as boarding schools, she adds.
Earlier reports stated the Russians allowed Ukrainian high school students to attend classes at the TOT only after they obtained Russian passports.
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