Occupiers plan to force Ukrainian teenagers in Luhansk to accept Russian passports – National Resistance Center

Russia plans to forcefully passportize all teenagers aged 14-18 living in the Luhansk region by October 1, the National Resistance Center reported on Aug. 18.

Russian proxies in the occupied Luhansk are "dissatisfied" with the low rate of passport issues, the Center reports. Teenagers between the ages of 14 and 18 will be forced to receive enemy passports so that the enemy forces will strengthen their control over civilians.

To prolong the campaign, Russia sent Kremlin-backed "observers"  to the region to monitor the process.

For this, volunteers from the Kremlin youth movements who arrived from the Russian Federation will be involved, and will go around the houses, the report says.

Moscow suggests incentives to teenagers in turn for them to obtain Russian citizenship. The passport could provide children with free vacations. If parents decide against receiving Russian passports, they could lose the support of social benefits, which would sabotage their children's education.

Previously, Kremlin authorities offered money to receive the passport. This strategy worked with retired people, while occupiers forced local enterprises to share lists of their employees for passportization.

Being occupied since 2014, Luhansk has been prone to Russia's influence and aggressive propaganda. Local schools are forced to integrate Russian history books and employ Moscow-appointed teachers to spread Kremlin narratives about the war in Ukraine.