Key Takeaways
- Russia is expanding the institutionalized use of state-approved history textbooks in occupied Ukraine to indoctrinate children with Kremlin narratives that delegitimize Ukrainian identity and justify Russia’s occupation and illegal annexation of Ukrainian territory.
- Russian occupation administrations are additionally preparing for the upcoming schoolyear by importing Russian teachers to work in schools in occupied areas via the Zemsky Teacher program.
- The Kherson Oblast occupation administration is investing in efforts to train Ukrainian youth how to operate drones as part of its broader youth policy programming.
- Russia is formalizing a federal-level electoral framework for occupied Ukraine ahead of the September 2026 State Duma elections. Local preparations for Duma elections include candidate registration and campaign formation, voter outreach and intensified registration efforts, early and at-home voting preparation, and election security measures.
- Russian occupation courts continue to impose harsh sentences on residents of occupied areas for allegedly sending small donations to Ukrainian forces.
Deportation and Forcible Transfer of Ukrainian Citizens, Including Children
Nothing significant to report.
Sociocultural Control
Russia is expanding the institutionalized use of state-approved history textbooks in occupied Ukraine to indoctrinate children with Kremlin narratives that delegitimize Ukrainian identity and justify Russia’s occupation and illegal annexation of Ukrainian territory. The Russian Ministry of Education approved the official list of textbooks accepted for use in schools in Russia, and by extension occupied Ukraine, for the 2026-2027 schoolyear on July 22.[1] The Ministry of Education order also notably includes a series of textbooks named “History of Our Region: Donbas and Novorossiya” for grades five to seven on the list of approved textbooks.[2] Russian Minister of Education Sergei Kravtsov previously claimed that the textbooks would allow schoolchildren to “study the region’s history without distortions,” undermining the Ukrainian education system that was in place prior to the occupation. Russian opposition outlet Verstka reviewed the textbooks and found that they villainize Ukrainian history, culture, and language, valorize the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and justify the illegal occupation and annexation of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhia oblasts.[3] The Russian Ministry of Education previously announced its intent to introduce the “History of Our Region” textbooks in June 2026 as part of a unified state history curriculum.[4]
Occupation officials and Russian federal subjects are preparing for the upcoming schoolyear by focusing on textbook provision to schools throughout occupied areas. The Krasnodar Krai government announced that it will purchase over 40,000 new textbooks for schools in occupied Kherson Oblast for the new schoolyear as part of a 30-million-ruble contract ($356,818).[5] Kherson Oblast occupation head Vladimir Saldo claimed on August 12 that 7,000 copies of the “History of Our Region” textbooks will arrive in occupied Kherson Oblast schools by September 1.[6] The Luhansk People’s Republic (LNR) occupation administration additionally reported on August 6 that it is prepared to provide all schoolchildren in occupied Luhansk Oblast with mandated textbooks according to federal education standards.[7] The consolidated and coordinated effort to push Russian state-approved textbooks into schools in occupied areas highlights the important role that these education materials play in the Kremlin’s wider efforts to use the school system in occupied Ukraine as a means of Russifying children and youth.
Russian occupation administrations are additionally preparing for the upcoming schoolyear by importing Russian teachers to work in schools in occupied areas via the Zemsky Teacher program. The LNR occupation Ministry of Education claimed on August 3 that three teachers will begin working in schools in occupied Luhansk Oblast on September 1 as part of the Zemsky Teacher program, bringing the total of Zemsky Teachers in the region to 18.[8] The Zemsky Teacher offers Russian educational professionals a two-million-ruble salary ($24,000) to move to towns and villages of under 50,000, particularly including towns in occupied Ukraine. The Zemsky Teacher program supports Russian efforts to consolidate control over the educational system in occupied areas, as these teachers help propagate Russian-approved curricula and Russian-language instruction.[9]
Militarization of Occupied Areas
The Kherson Oblast occupation administration is investing in efforts to train Ukrainian youth on drone operation as part of its broader youth policy programming. The Kherson Oblast occupation administration reported on August 11 that a basic drone operation training course has started for school-aged children in occupied Kherson Oblast as part of the “Summer with Youth” project.[10] Participants will start on drone operation simulators and eventually work with real drones. The Kherson Oblast occupation Ministry of Youth Policy and the Patriot youth military-patriotic training center are sponsoring “Summer with Youth.” The integration of drone training programs in government-sponsored youth recreation programs is noteworthy and consistent with a larger trend of Russian occupation officials instituting drone training for youth in occupied areas via gamified drone racing competitions, extracurricular drone operation courses, and federally mandated drone operation classes as part of school curricula.[11] Russia has intensified efforts to harvest recruits for the Unmanned Systems Forces from occupied Ukraine, including by targeting university students to sign USF service contracts, and youth-focused drone training courses serve the purpose of preparing a young cadre of capable drone operators for future military service.[12]
Administrative and Bureaucratic Control
Russia is formalizing a federal-level electoral framework for occupied Ukraine ahead of the September 2026 State Duma elections. The Russian Central Election Commission (CEC) approved a list of regulations on July 24 pertaining to the upcoming September 2026 State Duma elections in certain areas of Russia, which are also relevant to the conduct of elections in occupied Ukraine.[13] The CEC regulations define particular security measures and emphasize the importance of early and at-home voting in order to prevent the creation of large gatherings of people during the voting period.[14] The CEC also stated that it may shorten the voting period in occupied Ukraine to accommodate potential security risks.[15] The CEC also noted that it formed single-mandate constituencies in occupied Ukraine — three in Donetsk Oblast, two in Luhansk Oblast, and one each in Zaporizhia and Kherson oblasts — for the upcoming elections, which ISW previously reported on as an effort to force residents of occupied areas into the Russian electoral system.[16] The September 2026 Duma election will be the first time these single-mandate constituencies will be used in occupied Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhia oblasts. The CEC regulations articulate and institutionalize a federal-level election framework for occupied Ukraine, forcing residents into a rigid and controlled electoral system.
Local preparations for Duma elections include candidate registration and campaign formation, voter outreach and intensified registration efforts, early and at-home voting preparation, and election security measures. The Kherson Oblast occupation administration stated on August 3, for example, that residents can vote early at home using the “Mobile Voter” mechanism, which requires a Russian passport for registration.[17] The Donetsk People’s Republic (DNR) occupation Election Commission emphasized on August 12 the use of the “InformUIK voter information system for the upcoming elections.[18] DNR Election Commission Head Vladimir Vystotsky noted Donetsk Oblast occupation authorities are paying special attention to early voting at people’s homes and workplaces.[19] The focus on early and at-home voting is likely to lead to widespread instances of voter coercion. Home visits by election workers, potentially accompanied by security services, are likely to be used as a method of intimidating residents into participating in the elections. Ukrainian Center for Countering Disinformation Head Andriy Kovalenko responded to election preparations and stated that Russia plans to falsify results in occupied Ukraine, noting that occupation authorities have a goal of at least 65 percent voter turnout.[20] Home and workplace voting will likely allow occupation authorities to manufacture a “high” voter turnout by forcing people to vote out of fear of retaliation. Russia has historically used elections in occupied Ukraine to create the guise of grassroots buy-in and legitimacy for its illegal occupations.[21]
Occupation Administration Mismanagement and Internal Dynamics
Nothing significant to report.
Physical and Legal Repressions
Russian occupation courts continue to impose harsh sentences on residents of occupied areas for allegedly sending small donations to Ukrainian forces. The Zaporizhia Oblast occupation court issued one sentence on August 6 and one on August 7 against two women from occupied Berdyansk and Tokmak, respectively, on the allegation that the women both transferred money to Ukrainian forces via an unspecified Ukrainian banking application.[22] The court sentenced the woman in the Berdyansk case to 14 years in prison for an alleged 57,789 ruble ($687) donation, and sentenced the woman in the Tokmak case to 12 years in prison for an alleged 2,415 ruble ($29) transfer. These two cases are indicative of the way in which the broader Russian occupation apparatus uses digital and financial surveillance to identify and punish residents of occupied areas for perceived support, whether ideological or material, for Ukraine.[23]
Economic and Financial Control
Nothing significant to report.
Information Space Control
Nothing significant to report.
Infrastructure and Development Projects
Nothing significant to report.
[1] http://publication.pravo dot gov.ru/document/0001202607230005?pageSize=1&index=1
[2] https://ria dot ru/20260723/uchebniki-2106591502.html
[3] https://verstka dot media/v-uchebnike-istoriya-nashego-kraya-dlya-okkupirovannyh-territorij-shkolnikov-zastavyat-dokazat-chto-podvigi-bojczov-svo-dostojny-geroev-vov
[4] https://understandingwar.org/research/russia-ukraine/russian-occupation-update-june-25-2026/
[5] https://t.me/VGA_Kherson/40175
[6] https://t.me/SALDO_VGA/16915
[7] https://tass dot ru/obschestvo/27987265
[8] https://tass dot ru/obschestvo/27990955
[9] https://understandingwar.org/research/russia-ukraine/russian-occupation-update-april-24-2025/
[10] https://t.me/VGA_Kherson/40165
[11] https://understandingwar.org/research/russia-ukraine/russian-occupation-update-july-3-2025/; https://understandingwar.org/research/russia-ukraine/russian-occupation-update-august-21-2025/; https://understandingwar.org/research/russia-ukraine/russian-occupation-update-june-25-2026/; https://understandingwar.org/research/russia-ukraine/russian-occupation-update-july-3-2025/; https://understandingwar.org/research/russia-ukraine/russian-occupation-update-april-30-2026/; https://understandingwar.org/research/russia-ukraine/russian-occupation-update-july-2-2026/; https://understandingwar.org/research/russia-ukraine/russian-occupation-update-february-5-2026/
[12] https://t.me/mod_russia/66179
[13] https://www.interfax dot ru/russia/1097976
[14] https://dan-news dot ru/exclusive/bezopasnost-stanet-prioritetom-na-vyborah-v-donbasse-i-novorossii–cik-rf/
[15] https://xonews dot ru/news/prodolzhitelnost-golosovanija-na-vyborah-v-donbasse-i-novorossii-mogut/
[16] https://understandingwar.org/research/russia-ukraine/russian-occupation-update-april-28-2025/
[17] https://t.me/izbirkomherson/3018
[18] https://dan-news dot ru/politics/sistema-informirovanija-izbiratelej-v-dnr-nachnet-rabotu-s-15-avgusta/
[19] https://dan-news dot ru/exclusive/v-dnr-na-vyborah-v-gosdumu-sdelajut-akcent-na-dosrochnom-golosovanii/
[20] https://t.me/akovalenko1989/11075 ; https://t.me/CenterCounteringDisinformation/18827
[21] https://understandingwar.org/research/russia-ukraine/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment_23-25/; https://understandingwar.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/24-210-0120ISW20Occupation20playbook.pdf
[22] https://tass dot ru/proisshestviya/27991413; https://tass dot ru/proisshestviya/27989213
[23] https://understandingwar.org/research/russia-ukraine/russian-occupation-update-june-4-2026/; https://understandingwar.org/research/russia-ukraine/russian-occupation-update-june-18-2026/; https://suspilne dot media/crimea/1310150-zniklu-krimcanku-viktoriu-sergeevu-okupanti-zvinuvatili-u-derzavnij-zradi-za-nibito-donati-na-zsu/; https://suspilne dot media/crimea/1313164-krimcanka-obvinuvacena-rf-u-derzzradi-zaavila-pro-tisk-i-vidmovilasa-vid-svidcen/; https://interfax dot com.ua/news/general/883989.html; https://imi.org dot ua/news/okupovanty-vymagayut-vid-mistsevyh-vydalyaty-zastosunky-ukrayinskyh-bankiv-i50141
