Dozens of children from the Transnistrian region have participated over the past nine years in camps organized by the International Children’s Center “Artek” in occupied Crimea[1],[2],[3]. Participation vouchers were given by the Russian Institute for Strategic Studies and the Association of Russian Schools Abroad, based on “patriotic” themed competitions. Even after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, children from the region continued to be sent to Crimea, despite serious security risks. According to local news sources, several children from Bender are currently at “Artek”[4],[5], where they will take part in the celebration of the center’s 100th anniversary – an event held under an official order signed by Vladimir Putin[6].
“Artek” places significant emphasis on the so-called “patriotic education”, which includes activities known as “lessons of courage”, led by Russian officials, representatives of the occupation regime, and soldiers involved in war crimes in Ukraine. For example, on 12 June 2025, children met with a soldier who fought against Ukraine and later became a senator in the Russian Federation Council, representing the occupation regime in Crimea. They also met with TV presenter Ekaterina Andreeva, one of the key figures in Russian state propaganda[7],[8]. In addition, “Artek” organizes propaganda exhibitions, military training exercises, shooting competitions, the “Zarnitsa” war game, and themed discussions about Russian history and the achievements of Russian diplomacy[9]. Testimonies from children in the Transnistrian region who attended the “Artek” camps, including the one below, suggest that the program focuses on glorifying the Soviet past.
This year, I took part in an extraordinary event – the National Assembly for Children on Historical and Military Themes “Eternal Flame – 2019”. It was dedicated to the victory of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War. Children from all over the world came together. Many of them showed deep respect for the history of their country and their families.
Student of the cadet school in Bender, participant in the camps of “Artek”[10]
“Artek” was added to the United Kingdom’s sanctions list in 2023 and to the European Union’s list in 2024, due to its involvement in the deportation and forced “re-education” of Ukrainian children[11],[12]. In June 2025, the President of Ukraine signed Decree No. 395/2025, which enforces the decision of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine to expand sanctions against several organizations and institutions involved in systemic Russification, ideological influence, and the militarization of Ukrainian children from temporarily occupied territories[13]. “Artek” is among the entities targeted by these new sanctions.
The Center for National Resistance of Ukraine has warned that, since 2022, Russia has involved children in propaganda activities and mandatory labor at the “Artek” camps, with the aim of supporting its war efforts[14]. At the same time, the Ukrainian Center for Civic Education “Almenda” has raised concerns about serious violations of children’s rights taking place in the so-called “summer recreation camps” organized by “Artek”[15]. According to Almenda’s reports, these camps are being used for military training and the promotion of Russian propaganda narratives among children from temporarily occupied territories and different regions of Russia[16].
“Almenda” noted that during the summer of 2023, a total of 981 children from the temporarily occupied territories of the Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Donetsk, and Luhansk regions were subjected to militarization and eradication of national identity[17]. During the same period, the Russian Intellectual Center published information on its website about the participation of children from Tiraspol, Ungheni, Congaz, and Chișinău in camps held at “Artek”[18].
In April 2025, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) warned that Russia plans to increase the forced transfer and deportation of Ukrainian children during this summer. These children would be sent to occupied territories of Ukraine, as well as to the territory of the Russian Federation, including to camps such as “Artek” and “Orlyonok”. According to estimates, approximately 53.000 children are expected to be transferred or forcibly deported – actions which Russian authorities officially present as regular “summer vacations”[19].
In the past, children from the Transnistrian region were also sent to the “Orlyonok” children’s center in the Krasnodar region[20]. According to the organizers, the goal of these trips was to “form civic and patriotic consciousness” and to encourage children to identify with the “Russian world” and its values. The ISW has repeatedly reported that the “Orlyonok” camp is used as a tool for indoctrination and militarization of children, aiming to form a new generation of young people loyal to the Kremlin regime[21].
The educational program there is very broad. It includes learning activities, social interaction with other children, and during this period, athletes, actors, or figures from Russian theater are usually invited. However, the main goal is to promote civic and patriotic education, so that children start to identify, both mentally and emotionally, with the Russian world and its values.
Svetlana Turchak, former so-called “deputy minister of education”[22]
The participation of children from the Transnistrian region in camps organized by “Artek,” with support from the Russian Federation, is one of the many tools used to indoctrinate and militarize minors, aiming to make them loyal to Russia and its occupation regimes. Sending them to occupied Crimea poses a serious security risk, especially as military operations are taking place nearby and the “Artek” center is controlled by an aggressor state. Moreover, the purpose of these camps and the activities held there are directly against the principles of democracy and human rights.
Constitutional authorities should systematically monitor the actions of both the Tiraspol occupation regime and the Russian Federation when it comes to the militarization of children’s education. Collecting accurate information will be essential for advancing future efforts in democratization, demilitarization, and transitional justice. It is also important to bring these practices to the attention of the international community, in order to exert pressure on the Russian Federation and discourage the continuation of these abusive policies.
The article was prepared by the Promo-LEX Association with the financial support of the National Endowment for Democracy, the Soros Foundation Moldova, and the European Union. The opinions expressed in the article belong exclusively to the author and the Promo-LEX Association; they cannot be interpreted in any way as reflecting the opinion and position of the National Endowment for Democracy, the Soros Foundation Moldova, or the European Union.
[1] Pervii pridnestrovskii. 2016. “Students from Transnistria go to «Artek» for the first time”. https://tv.pgtrk.com/ru/news/20160405/42482.
[2] Novosti pridnestrovia. 2019. “Last year, 90 children from large families benefited from a state-funded vacation for the first time”. https://novostipmr.com/ru/news/19-10-16/v-proshlom-godu-90-rebyat-iz-mnogodetnyh-semey-vpervye-otdohnuli?page=93.
[3] “ministry of education of the pmr”. 2018. “Report of the ministry of education of the pmr on the results of its activities for 2017”, pp. 28-29. https://minpros.gospmr.org/files/Report/otchet_mp_za_2017.pdf.
[4] Tiraspol News Feed. 2025. “Transnistrian schoolchildren in the international camp «Artek»”. https://tiraspol-news.ru/society/2025/06/02/187321.html.
[5] Website of school No. 15 in Bender. 2025. “Transnistrian schoolchildren in the international camp «Artek»”. https://school15-bendery.org/?p=3929.
[6] Explain.rf. 2025. “Festive events in honor of the 100th anniversary of «Artek» began on Russia National Day”. https://xn--90aivcdt6dxbc.xn--p1ai/articles/news/prazdnichnye-meropriyatiya-v-chest-100-letiya-arteka-startovali-v-den-rossii-/.
[7] Telegram channel of the Artek center. 2025. “The heroes of Russia in Artek”. https://t.me/artek1925/17031?single.
[8] Crimea News Feed. 2025. “In Crimea, TV presenter Ekaterina Andreeva was welcomed among Artek participants on the occasion of Russia Day”. https://crimea-news.com/society/2025/06/12/1695070.html.
[9] Almenda. 2023. “Monitoring Report “What is hidden behind “recreation” in a children’s camp? How Russia militarises, indoctrinates and changes the identity of Ukrainian children”, pp. 17-21. https://almenda.org/en/shcho-prykhovuye-vidpochynok-u-dytyachomu-tabori/.
[10] “ministry of internal affairs of pmr”. 2019. “Arsen Marian: «Communication with people united by a common cause was important»”. https://mvdpmr.org/novosti/obr-uchr/nov-rkk/28800-arsen-maryan-bylo-vazhno-obshchenie-s-lyudmi-ob-edinjonnymi-obshchim-delom.html.
[11] Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation HM Treasury. 2023. “Financial Sanctions Notice Russia”. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/64b4f98d9959000013002b80/Notice_Russia_170723.pdf.
[12] Council of the European Union. 2024. “14th package of sanctions on Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine: EU lists additional 69 individuals and 47 entities”. https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2024/06/24/14th-package-of-sanctions-on-russia-s-war-of-aggression-against-ukraine-eu-lists-additional-69-individuals-and-47-entities/.
[13] Mission of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. 2025. “The President of Ukraine Imposed Sanctions on the Artek Camp”. https://ppu.gov.ua/en/press-center/prezydent-ukrainy-zaprovadyv-sanktsii-proty-taboru-artek/.
[14] Ukrainian World Congress. 2024. “Russia turns Crimean Artek children’s camp into propaganda hub”. https://www.ukrainianworldcongress.org/russia-turns-crimean-artek-childrens-camp-into-propaganda-hub/.
[15] Almenda. 2024. “What does Russian education hide in the temporarily occupied Crimea?”. https://almenda.org/en/shho-prixovuye-rosijska-osvita-v-timchasovo-okupovanomu-krimu/.
[16] Almenda. 2023. “Monitoring Report “What is hidden behind “recreation” in a children’s camp? How Russia militarises, indoctrinates and changes the identity of Ukrainian children”, pp. 17-21. https://almenda.org/en/shcho-prykhovuye-vidpochynok-u-dytyachomu-tabori/.
[17] Ibid., p.17.
[18] Russian Intellectual Center. 2023. “«Artek, add us to your friends list!»: children from Moldova conquered the international camp”. https://ric.krorm.ru/artek-dobav-v-druzya/.
[19] Institute for the Study of War. 2025. “Russian occupation update, April 28, 2025”. https://understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-occupation-update-april-28-2025.
[20] Novosti pridnestrovia. “Orlionok”. https://novostipmr.com/ru/hash/orlyonok.
[21] Institute for the Study of War. 2025 “Russian occupation update, May 15, 2025”. https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-occupation-update-may-15-2025.
[22] Radio 1. 2015. “30 children from Transnistria will spend their holidays at the Orlyonok children’s center”. https://radio.pgtrk.com/news/201015/30-detey-iz-pridnestrovya-otdohnut-v-vdc-orlyonok.