Russia Infiltrates Ukraine's Educational System By Sending 5,000 Textbooks About Russia

Russia reportedly removed Ukrainian-language books from a school in the occupied city of Mariupol and brought in thousands of Russian books in what some claimed was an attempt to "Russify" children.

Around 5,000 primary and secondary education textbooks have been delivered to Mariupol's school No. 4, Lyudmyla Denisova, Ukraine's Ombudsman for Human Rights, said in a statement.

The books covered Russian history, language, literature and the nature of the "native land," Denisova added.

"Russia is trying to erase Ukrainian identity from children’s minds and impose its own visions of the world order," the official alleged.

Mariupol’s occupiers have also removed all the Ukrainian-language textbooks available in the school's library.

"All Ukrainian materials were removed. Amid rubble and dead bodies, occupants plan to Russify kids in some schools over the summer to prepare them for the next school year," Ukrainian journalist Anastasiia Lapatina said in a post.

"This is terrifying, and deeply tragic. As always, Russia is aiming at the core of our national identity because they just can’t stand it. They just can’t stand a free, democratic, and prosperous Ukraine," she added.

Aside from pursuing the "liquidation" of Ukrainian educational materials, the Russians also dismantled smart boards in the city's schools, which were then sent to the Russian-occupied city of Donetsk along with the textbooks, according to Denisova.

The actions of Mariupol's occupiers were in direct violation of Articles 29 and 38 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, she said.

Article 29 states that countries should direct a child or young person to develop respect "for the child's parents, his or her own cultural identity, language and values" and "for the national values of the country in which the child is living, the country from which he or she may originate, and for civilizations different from his or her own."

Meanwhile, Article 38 indicates that states "shall take all feasible measures to ensure protection and care of children who are affected by an armed conflict."

Denisova has now called for the U.N. to take into account Russia's violations in the organization's investigation into Russia's alleged children's rights abuses in Ukraine.