The War Museum presented the results of the project by the Center for Middle Eastern Studies “Improving the understanding of the population of the occupied territories and providing it with assistance through community-based transformational research”. Documenting the experiences of Ukrainians who lived under occupation for at least six months formed the basis for two reports: on systemic Russification in the occupied territories and on the risks and challenges of de-occupation and reintegration processes. The event was moderated by War Museum researcher Svitlana Demchenko.
Director of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies Ihor Semyvolos and his deputy Serhii Danylov presented the methodology of data collection, an analysis of the mechanisms of Russification, and the consequences of prolonged occupation for the Ukrainian population. They also outlined forecasts regarding the processes of returning territories and people, emphasizing the challenges the state and society will face in the future.
First-hand testimonies of eyewitnesses revealed the scale of terror mechanisms used. Serhii Danylov noted that Russians use violence as a tool of control, applying it chaotically, demonstratively, and brutally. People live in constant fear, surviving in such conditions throughout three years of occupation.
Researchers highlighted the special role of education in the policy of the occupying authorities. They are convinced that school is the main instrument of the occupier’s “soft power.” Parents are restricted from entering schools. Narratives have been introduced into the curriculum that deliberately undermine the role of parents—all to strengthen the influence of the state over children. From the testimony of a teacher: “I know a boy who studies in the tenth grade. He told me about their “lessons on important things”. Mostly about the armed forces of the Russian Federation, about the “heroes”, about how “Russia defends its territory from Ukraine”, about how “it liberated everyone here”. All students are forced to write letters and collect packages for the “soldiers of the Russian armed forces”. If a child is late or absent, the school calls the parents and even threatens to strip them of parental rights and take the child away”.
Ihor Semivolos stressed that after the liberation of the territories, their residents must be given a clear picture of how Ukraine envisions the process of reintegration of the territory and its people.
The War Museum sincerely thanks the Center for Middle Eastern Studies, the speakers, and all participants for a meaningful discussion on the current challenges caused by Russian aggression against Ukraine.
