Promo-LEX: Transnistrian students involved in Russian "patriotic" education
This summer, dozens of students from the Transnistrian region took part in "patriotic education" programs and initiatives that promote Russian historical narratives. These activities were organized in the Russian Federation and occupied Crimea. A report released by the Promo-LEX Association indicates that some of these programs occurred at centers that are under international sanctions. The organization has raised concerns about the potential risks of indoctrination and the associated security implications.
Promo-LEX states that children from the Transnistrian region participated in such initiatives over the summer and that these activities are part of a broader system of "patriotic education" promoted by the Russian Federation.
In June, a group of students from the region took part in activities organized at the "Artek" International Children's Center in occupied Crimea. According to Promo-LEX, the center is subject to international sanctions for its involvement in the forced transfer and ideological indoctrination of Ukrainian children.
The organization notes that the participation of students from the Transnistrian region in the "Artek" activities took place "in an extremely fragile security context," which allegedly exposed the children to additional risks.
Subsequently, between June 23 and July 13, another group of students participated in the "Circle of Friends" international program, organized at the "Orlionok" children's center in the Russian Federation.
This center is also subject to international sanctions. Promo-LEX states that "Orlionok" runs military-patriotic education programs and has infrastructure designed to train "young military personnel" and "young border guards."
Furthermore, since 2024, the center has hosted a museum dedicated to Russia's war against Ukraine. The activities also include meetings between the children and Russian military personnel who took part in the war against Ukraine. Promo-LEX also reports that, over the summer, students from the Transnistrian region took part in other Russian "patriotic" education initiatives, including the "Movement of the First" activities and the "Train of Memory" project.
The "Movement of the First" is a state organisation for children and youth, established in the Russian Federation in 2022. According to Promo-LEX, it promotes "patriotism" and a sense of belonging to Russia. In September 2024, at the initiative of Vladimir Putin, an officer who had participated in the Russian Federation's war of aggression against Ukraine was appointed to the organization's leadership.
Another project involving students from the Transnistrian region is the "Train of Memory," launched in 2022 at the initiative of the Russian and Belarusian parliaments and with the support of the leadership of both states.
According to the organization, the project ostensibly aims to protect "historical truth" and combat the alleged "rewriting of history." Promo-LEX notes that the initiative is also presented as a form of "vaccination against neo-Nazism," adopting themes associated with the propaganda narrative used by the Russian Federation to justify the war against Ukraine. The organization notes that discussions regarding the expansion of participation by children from the Transnistrian region in such programs also took place in 2025. During the "Formula of the Future" International Forum in Kazan, Galina Ratușniac—the so-called Deputy Minister of Education from Tiraspol—discussed with Russian officials expanding youth exchanges and participation in programs at the "Orlionok," "Smena," and "Artek" centres in occupied Crimea.
We remind you that in May 2026, Promo-LEX published a White Paper on the educational reintegration of the Transnistrian region, highlighting the need to anticipate challenges related to the demilitarization and depoliticization of the education system in the occupied territory and to develop an educational reintegration policy.
Pavel Horea, a security expert, warns that efforts to indoctrinate young people on the left bank of the Nistru have entered a new phase, closely mirroring the Moscow model.
"Such activities are not new to the Transnistrian region. These types of military-patriotic training exercises for the younger generation, oriented toward the Russian Federation, have taken place in previous years as well. This year, however, they are larger in scale, with a faithful replication of the Russian curriculum for patriotic and semi-paramilitary youth training. Events involving the flag and the singing of the national anthem have the sole purpose of increasing the appeal of the Russian state and its current ideology among young people," the expert stated. He also emphasises that the Tiraspol regime aims to prepare new generations for its security and armed structures over the long term.
"On one hand, they do this to keep a segment of the population mobilized within the machinery of Russian propaganda, and on the other, to cultivate future personnel capable of serving in security, military, and paramilitary structures. Essentially, they are pursuing a long-term process—going beyond merely sending young people to camps for basic semi-military training," Pavel Horea told Teleradio-Moldova.
We remind you that in the 2026–2027 academic year, the so-called military education structures on the left bank of the Nistru enrolled 127 students. According to official data, 65 minors were admitted to the "Suvorov" military school, while another 62 joined the cadet school in Tighina (Bender)—an institution where girls make up approximately half of the new trainees.
Experts from Promo-LEX have warned that these two militarized institutions prepare children for subsequent integration into the security and law enforcement structures of the occupying regime.
