Kremlin expands Putin’s “Movement of the First”
The kremlin is intensifying the militarization of children and youth. At the latest congress of putin’s “movement of the first,” its leader artur orlov announced a plan to increase the organization’s membership from the current 12.5 million to 18 million by 2030. In fact, every second russian aged 6 to 25 is expected to become part of this paramilitary structure.
▫️ The “movement of the first,” established in 2022 as an analogue of the soviet pioneers, is actively expanding its infrastructure and “recruitment base”: the number of primary branches is expected to grow from 51,000 to 78,000, while the number of mentors will triple to over 5 million. Mentors may include teachers, students, and participants of the war against Ukraine.
Through such organizations, the kremlin seeks to shape a generation of youth raised from childhood to take part in war and indoctrinated with hatred toward Ukraine and the West. This is further evidence that russia has no intention of abandoning its aggressive plans and is preparing a “personnel reserve” for its army directly in schools.
It should be recalled that in June, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy imposed sanctions against the “movement of the first” and the artek children’s camp in Crimea, which the occupiers had turned into a propaganda hub.
