"Military-patriotic education" has become a priority area for Transnistrian structures over the past eight years, a fact reflected in the inclusion of basic military education in the school curriculum, according to experts from the Promo-LEX association. Experts warn that a particularly alarming aspect is the increased focus on the military education of children without parental care, as they are extremely vulnerable to forced recruitment into military schools and security structures, IPN reports.
According to Promo-LEX, although so-called "military-patriotic education" targets all age groups, it is primarily directed at children and young people, starting from preschool level. Each year, various paramilitary structures on the left bank of the Dniester River organize over 1,400 events with a "military-patriotic" theme.
"Children without parental care are sent to military camps, where they are trained by members of paramilitary and security structures. These children, excluded from society and deprived of emotional support and direct parental influence, become vulnerable to manipulation and forced recruitment into the region's paramilitary structures," the Promo-LEX experts state. The association’s report highlights that these minors are frequently taken on organized visits to military museums and paramilitary headquarters.
Promo-LEX warns that the militarization of education in the Transnistrian region poses a national security issue and a major challenge to the state's reintegration process. Moreover, it constitutes a blatant violation of international norms, which explicitly state that children must be educated in the spirit of peace, freedom, tolerance, equality, and friendship among all peoples, ethnic, national, and religious groups, the organization emphasizes.
