Putin opens military academy in occupied Mariupol via video link, with new facility aiming to russify Ukrainian children

Vladimir Putin, the Russian ruler, has "opened" a branch of the Nakhimov Naval School in the occupied city of Mariupol – remotely, using a video link.

Putin claimed that he had ordered the opening back in March 2023, and now the occupying school "can fully operate".

The occupiers plan to start the academic year on 1 September, as reported by the Mariupol City Council and Ukrainian TV channel TV-7.

"The building was constructed in the Prymorskyi district of the city. The children from grades 5 to 7 were selected. Thus the occupiers are trying to turn Mariupol into a military base. The city remains an important logistics point of the Russians," the Mariupol City Council reported.

240 students, mainly from Russia, were selected for "learning", as reported by Kremlin-aligned information agency TASS. It claimed that "future students shared their dreams about defending their Motherland".

Local Ukrainian authorities stated that the main goal of the occupiers is to "russify the children", turn them against Ukraine and then use them in new wars.

Background: Earlier, Putin "opened" a school in Mariupol: a child was brought to him to "thank" him. The Russians also "hosted" a raccoon, stolen from the city of Kherson, at a university in the occupied city of Melitopol in Zaporizhzhia Oblast.

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