Russia turns Mariupol into main children militarization hub in occupied south

This was stated by Petro Andryushchenko, head of the Center for the Study of Occupation, on Espreso TV.

“There is an advisor on ideological work and another on education in every school, both reporting to the principal. Their roles vary by region. Right now, the main militarization hotspot is the Zaporizhzhia region, which has been under the control and influence of Sergey Kiriyenko since the start of the occupation. Kiriyenko serves as the ideological leader behind the militarized pseudo-youth organizations. This system operates most effectively in Zaporizhzhia, and now also in Donetsk, taking into account the influence of the Kremlin's towers,” he said.

Andryushchenko added that this effort is being intensified, and Mariupol has already been officially marked as the primary militarization site in the occupied territories of southern Ukraine.

“They are not randomly building the largest 'Warrior' camp there — it's the most terrifying organization we know of. The largest camp for militarizing children from occupied territories is in Volgograd. It will now be relocated to Mariupol. In terms of numbers, the ‘Warrior’ system conducts full military training for teens aged 14–18 — it’s essentially a boot camp. Each session in Volgograd hosts up to 850 children, and the third session is currently underway. Each session includes at least 400–430 children from occupied regions,” the expert noted.

He emphasized that Russia is training real soldiers — the instructors are veterans from the front lines.

“Children are taught how to handle weapons, urban combat tactics, drone warfare, and tactical medicine — it's full military training. And this practice is expanding and being scaled up across Russia. Last year, 25,000 children from occupied territories passed through these camps. This year, they aim to process up to 50,000. In five years, they will have up to half a million 18+ teenagers ready to fight under ideological slogans. They are preparing ideological soldiers, largely from our own children left in the occupied territories, to save on expenses,” Andryushchenko concluded.