Ukraine lures former Crimean school director out of Russian occupation, arrests him over child militarization
Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) says it carried out an operation to lure a former director of a children's educational institution out of Russian-occupied Crimea and arrest him over allegations that he subjected Ukrainian children to Russian military training and propaganda.
The man was detained in Ukraine's southern Odesa region after a multistage operation by SBU military counterintelligence, the agency announced on November 13.
According to investigators, the suspect headed an extracurricular educational institution in Yevpatoria, a city in Crimea, before Russia occupied the peninsula in 2014. He supported the occupation and was subsequently reappointed by Russian authorities to run the institution.
The SBU alleges that children aged five to 18 were forced to participate in military-themed propaganda activities disguised as sports clubs and cultural events.
Russian military personnel also conducted firearms and tactical training sessions for children at the institution, according to the agency.
Investigators say the former director publicly promoted Russia's occupation authorities, glorified Russian soldiers and encouraged hostility toward Ukraine among children and their parents.
The SBU also alleges that he participated in transferring children from Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine's Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions to Russia via Crimea.
- Former director of an after-school institution in occupied Yevpatoria detainedSecurity Service of Ukraine / Telegram
- Former director of an after-school institution in occupied Yevpatoria detainedSecurity Service of Ukraine / Telegram
How the operation unfolded
According to the SBU, testimony from one of the suspect's former colleagues played a crucial role in the operation.
The woman had been forcibly held in occupied Crimea, the agency said. Ukrainian military counterintelligence personnel helped bring her out of the peninsula, after which she provided evidence against her former supervisor.
The SBU subsequently conducted an operation that brought the suspect to Ukrainian-controlled territory, where he was arrested.
Investigators are also examining whether Russian occupation authorities may have sent him to the Odesa region to collect information about Ukrainian military positions. The agency has not said that this suspicion has been substantiated.
The man has been formally notified that he is suspected of collaboration under Article 111-1, Part 3, of Ukraine's Criminal Code. He remains in custody and faces a possible prison sentence if convicted.
The operation involved the Ukrainian Navy's Angels special reconnaissance unit and was conducted under the supervision of prosecutors responsible for Crimea and Sevastopol.
Russia occupied and illegally annexed Crimea in 2014. Ukraine and most of the international community continue to recognize the peninsula as Ukrainian territory.
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