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What Happens When Russia Takes Over Your School
“When the Russians gained control, we noticed right away that their first priority was replacing our education with the Russian program,” said Sergey Shadanovsky, head of the Kupyansk Education Department. (Jose Colon/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Putin wants to annex eastern Ukraine. This small town already knows what it feels like to get bullied into being Russian.
By Aidan G. Stretch
10.06.25 — International
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KHARKIV, UKRAINE — Kupyansk was one of the first Ukrainian cities to fall to the Russians during the opening days of the war. It is only 25 miles from the border, and many of its 26,000 residents speak Russian. One of its major political parties supported the Russian state.

On February 27, 2022, when Russian columns rolled through, the mayor, Hennadiy Ma…

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Aidan G. Stretch
Aidan Stretch is a CBS News international reporter and contributor to The Free Press based in Kyiv, Ukraine, focused on covering Russia's invasion and American foreign policy.
Tags:
War
Russia
Education
Ukraine
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