Russian-backed organizations are running Soviet-style military-patriotic games for children on the Spanish island of Tenerife, in what experts warn is a broader Kremlin to militarize youth and export pro-Russian propaganda in Western societies.
According to Pavlo Sadokha, Vice President of the Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) for Southern Europe and President of the Union of Ukrainians in Portugal (UUP), the activities – disguised as cultural and sporting events – are a modern revival of Soviet-era indoctrination programs now targeting children of Russian decent in Spain.
Viting an article from El Mundo, he said, “a Moscow-directed youth militarization program organized a modern version of the Soviet-era military-patriotic games on the Canary Islands, adapted for children of Spanish descent with Russian roots. Activities included ‘field kitchen,’ ‘letters from the front,’ and ‘counterintelligence.’”
On May 10, the Canary Islands hosted an event for children with Russian heritage called “Zarnitsa 2.0.”
“Zarnitsa 2.0” serves as a sporting cover for paramilitary training rooted in Soviet traditions. Originally designed for Russian children, it has since expanded to include Ukrainian children from occupied territories and now children from Spanish-Russian families,” the article reads.
In March, the publication Crónica revealed that the Association of Russian Compatriots in Spain had sent over 70 Spanish children to the Artek camp in occupied Crimea.
This initiative was organized in cooperation with other Kremlin-controlled organizations under the Russian federal agency “Rossotrudnichestvo.”
“Artek is a military camp located in Crimea, where children are taught how to handle weapons while also undergoing patriotic ‘brainwashing’ through a sports-style program inspired by Soviet methods — methods that Vladimir Putin, a former KGB officer, has embraced,” the article reads.
Workshops at the camp are led by soldiers and mercenaries affiliated with the Kremlin-backed military contractor Wagner Group.
“Anyone who arrives with weakened critical thinking or childlike trust leaves nearly fanatical — believing the aggression against Ukraine is a defensive, necessary act, and viewing any criticism of Putin as Russophobia,” the report reads.
Cover: Kirill Kudryavtsev
