NEW: Russia is training Ukrainian children to become drone operators for future service in the Russian military or employment in the Russian defense industrial base. Read more in the July 3 Russian Occupation Update from @karolinahird.bsky.social: isw.pub/OccupationUp...

1/ Russia is effectively banning Ukrainian-language education in schools in occupied Ukraine starting September 1. Here's a quick🧵 on how Russia uses constraints on Ukrainian language access as a tool of coercive control in occupied Ukraine.

“When Russia says they’re ‘deporting’ someone, they’re not deporting them back to Ukraine.” My story on how Putin’s latest attempt to force Russian passports on Ukrainians paves the way for more war crimes in the occupied territories. meduza.io/en/feature/2... @meduza.io

‘A false semblance of choice’ Putin’s latest passportization deadline dials up the pressure on civilians in Ukraine’s occupied territories — Meduza

Ukrainians living under occupation have long faced pressure to assume Russian citizenship. But in March, Vladimir Putin turned things up a notch. In a decree aimed at boosting the Kremlin’s campaign t...

meduza.io

Occupation authorities plan to build and repair over 600 miles of roads in Crimea — a project experts and Ukrainian officials say is meant to bolster military logistics and facilitate the illegal extraction of resources from occupied territory. meduza.io/en/feature/2...

‘Neocolonial piracy’ In occupied Crimea, Russia is building roads to move weapons and stolen resources — Meduza

Over the next five years, the Russian authorities plan to build and repair more than 600 miles of roads in annexed Crimea. But it’s unlikely the goal is simply to improve life for locals. Experts and…

meduza.io

NEW: Kremlin-appointed Russian Commissioner on Children’s Rights Maria Lvova-Belova tacitly acknowledged that Russia has illegally deported Ukrainian children. Lvova-Belova’s statements further confirm the illegality of Russia’s behavior vis-à-vis Ukrainian children. isw.pub/OccupationUpdate060925

Lots of infrastructure developments in today’s Occupation Update. Russian infrastructure projects in TOT serve as powerful indicators of Russia’s plans to physically integrate Ukrainian assets into Russia, generating economic benefits for the Russian state + complicating reintegration efforts.

Institute for the Study of War@thestudyofwar.bsky.social · last yr.

3/ Russia is taking steps to further consolidate its control over the energy grid in occupied Ukraine, supporting Russian efforts to integrate the energy system in occupied Ukraine with the Russian energy system. Read more from ISW's @karolinahird.bsky.social: isw.pub/OccupationUp...

Russian armed forces have committed crimes against humanity by deliberately targeting civilians with drones in Ukraine's Kherson Oblast, according to a new report by the United Nation's Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine.

UN commission says Russian drone attacks against Kherson amount to crimes against humanity

From July 2024, nearly 150 civilians have been killed and hundreds more wounded in drone strikes on Kherson city and 16 surrounding localities, according to the United Nation's Independent Internation...

kyivindependent.com

“There’s a very clear and concerted effort to deport Ukrainian children and adopt them into Russian families and erase their Ukrainian identities." ISW's @karolinahird.bsky.social speaks with @thetimes.com about Russian efforts to destroy Ukrainian identity: www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mIZ...

Putin's Plan To Destroy Ukraine's Identity I Times Explains

YouTube video by Times Originals

youtube.com

NEW: An international coalition comprised of Ukraine and its partners agreed to establish a special tribunal to investigate and prosecute the Russian crimes of aggression against Ukraine. (🧵1/3) Read more in the latest Russian Occupation Update: isw.pub/OccupationUp...

Awesome to see @www.csce.gov calling out Russia's widescale deportation of Ukrainian children. We over at @thestudyofwar.bsky.social have been doing our best to keep this in the public eye, so please check out more of our work on the ISW website: www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder...

U.S. Helsinki Commission@helsinkicomm.bsky.social · last yr.

Russia is preparing the mass forced removal of over 50,000 Ukrainian children from Russian-occupied territories to “summer camps” across Russia and occupied Ukraine as part of a broader attempt to completely erase Ukrainian identity.🧵1/4

Since the start of the full-scale invasion, Ukraine has identified over 19,500 children who have been forcibly deported to Russia, Belarus, or occupied territories, where they are subjected to intense propaganda designed to erase their Ukrainian identity.

As Russia trains abducted children for war, Ukraine fights uphill battle to bring them home

Around the world, abducting a child is a serious crime punishable by years behind bars. But when the kidnapper is Russia, justice remains a distant hope. So does the child’s return home. Since the s...

kyivindependent.com

NEW: A source at State shared with me a memo from the DoD Joint Staff dated 4/15 confirming that the combatant commands support the Women, Peace, and Security program and collectively recommended to continue its implementation, contrary to Sec Hegseth claim that "troops HATE it"

NEW: Russia is once again preparing to escalate the forced removal and deportation of Ukrainian children during the upcoming summer months. (1/3) Russian Occupation Update, April 28, 2025: isw.pub/OccupationUp...

This absolutely cannot, under any circumstances, become normalized. This is the reality of Russia's occupation of Ukraine- don't ever look away.

Meduza in English@meduza.io · last yr.

Before the Russian authorities returned the body of 27-year-old Ukrainian journalist Victoria Roshchyna to Ukraine last week, several organs, including her eyes and brain, had been removed, according to a new investigation. meduza.io/en/feature/2...

3/ Russia is actively recruiting teachers from throughout the Russian Federation to teach in occupied Luhansk Oblast as part of the “Zemskyi Uchitel” (“Rural Teacher”) program. Read more from @karolinahird.bsky.social: isw.pub/OccupationUp...

Please, Do Not Betray My Crimea | "Crimea is not just a lump of land, it is the home to many hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians. In exile or under occupation, it is a part of our soul." Elina Beketova

Please, Do Not Betray My Crimea

Crimea is not just a lump of land, it is the home to many hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians under occupation.

cepa.org

Just a friendly reminder that 1) Crimea is Ukraine, and 2) the millions of people living under Russian rule in Crimea will basically be condemned to suffer indefinitely if Russia gets a carte blanche on its occupation from the US administration.

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · last yr.

And there it is. Trump comes out in favor of codifying Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea and blames Zelenskyy for Putin’s aggression.

Dear Steve Witkoff: An elementary lesson on Ukrainian demographics. The fact that someone, or the majority of people in a region, speaks the Russian language natively doesn’t mean they want to be part of Russia. It doesn’t mean they are not bombed by Russia.

NEW | The Rapid Support Forces has committed war crimes as it has intensified efforts to consolidate control over western Sudan. RSF atrocities include attacks on the Zamzam refugee camp and are possibly constituent acts of ethnic cleansing or genocide. www.criticalthreats.org/analysis/afr...

Critical Threats Project@criticalthreats.bsky.social · last yr.

NEW | External meddling in Sudan shows no signs of stopping amid the country’s now two-year civil war. US partners such as the UAE, as well as US adversaries such as Iran and Russia, threaten US interests in the Red Sea by fueling the war. (1/6)

1/ Today's occupation update focuses heavily on Russia's efforts to deport Ukrainian children and teens to Russia and expose them to Russification programs. I discuss how programs such as "University Shifts" and "Cultural Map 4+85" are just a small part of a much larger ecosystem ⬇️

Institute for the Study of War@thestudyofwar.bsky.social · last yr.

NEW: Russian officials continue to advertise programs that deport and Russify Ukrainian children and teenagers. Read more in the April 17 Russian Occupation Update from @karolinahird.bsky.social: isw.pub/OccupationUp...

⚡️US shuts down office combating Russian disinformation, Rubio says. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on April 16 the closure of the State Department’s office responsible for countering foreign disinformation, citing concerns about free speech and the rights of American citizens.

US shuts down office combating Russian disinformation, Rubio says

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on April 16 the closure of the State Department’s office responsible for countering foreign disinformation, citing concerns about free speech and the rights of...

kyivindependent.com

NEW | External meddling in Sudan shows no signs of stopping amid the country’s now two-year civil war. US partners such as the UAE, as well as US adversaries such as Iran and Russia, threaten US interests in the Red Sea by fueling the war. (1/6)

"the president defied a Supreme Court ruling to return a man mistakenly sent to a gulag... and spoke of sending Americans to foreign concentration camps. This is the beginning of an American policy of state terror, and it has to be identified as such to be stopped" snyder.substack.com/p/state-terror

State Terror

A brief guide for Americans

snyder.substack.com

NEW: Russian Occupation Update, April 8, 2025 The Kremlin is using the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) to consolidate social control over occupied areas of Ukraine and destroy any semblance of religious freedom. isw.pub/RussianOccup... MORE 🔽🧵(1/3)

MORE: The rate of Russian advances in Ukraine has been steadily declining since November 2024, in part due to successful Ukrainian counterattacks in eastern Ukraine. (🧵1/7) Full report: isw.pub/UkrWar040625

Institute for the Study of War@thestudyofwar.bsky.social · last yr.

NEW: The rate of Russian advances in Ukraine has been steadily declining since November 2024, in part due to successful Ukrainian counterattacks in eastern Ukraine. Read more in the April 6, 2025 Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment: isw.pub/UkrWar040625

🚨 NEW: The number of Russian drone strikes targeting Ukraine has surged by more than 50 per cent since US-led peace talks began in mid-February w/ @harrietbarber.bsky.social telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2... 1/10

How Putin is using peace talks as a disguise to bombard Ukraine

Data show that Russia, despite its pledge for peace, has increased attacks in a bid to force concessions from Kyiv

telegraph.co.uk

An interesting (and insane) tidbit from today's @thestudyofwar.bsky.social occupation update: Russian veterans in occupied Simferopol, Crimea, are teaching children as young as seven military and combat skills in accordance with Spetsnaz, NKVD, KGB, and SMERSH training doctrine....

Launching a new mini-product for @thestudyofwar.bsky.social tracking updates in Russian-occupied Ukraine. I fear we're increasingly losing sight (especially here in the US) of the stakes of this war for the millions of Ukrainian civilians living behind the frontline.

Institute for the Study of War@thestudyofwar.bsky.social · last yr.

NEW | Russian Occupation Update, March 31: Russian occupation authorities have intensified law enforcement activity in occupied areas of Ukraine since mid-March ... 1/5 Full report: isw.pub/RussianOccup...

Just announced! Join @razomforukraine.org and @atlanticcouncil.bsky.social for a virtual discussion on Russia's abduction of Ukrainian children and why the United States must work to return them. RSVP now 👉 www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/whats-...

Extremely concerning and unacceptable. Yale HRL has been tracking the locations of 35 THOUSAND deported Ukrainian children in Russia, amongst providing other critical human rights monitoring functions.

Kyiv Post@kyivpost.com · last yr.

“They have been left to DIE out” — By Friday, a vital Yale University unit tracking the abduction of Ukrainian children will reportedly be shut down. www.kyivpost.com/post/49579