New report reveals militarisation in Belarusian schools

A new report published by the Lithuanian-based human rights organisation Our House reveals how militarisation in Belarus begins long before young people reach conscription age. Focusing on developments throughout 2025, the report documents how the education system itself is shaped around “pre-conscription training,” which embeds military values from early childhood.

Including examples from the past year, the report states that militarisation in Belarus “begins in early childhood - through  kindergartens and schools - continues in adolescence through military-patriotic clubs, camps, and elements of pre-conscription training, intensifies during the conscription period through public propaganda of military service, and persists after its formal completion through the reserve system.”

This educational framework feeds directly into Belarus’ compulsory military service system. All young men aged 18 to 27 are required to complete 18 months of service (12 months for those with higher education), followed by annual reservist exercises. Within this system, the right to conscientious objection is severely restricted. Alternative service is available only to individuals whose religious beliefs explicitly prohibit military participation, excluding those with non-religious or broader ethical objections.

According to the report, the recognition process for alternative service lacks transparency, with conscription commissions exercising wide discretion over applications. As a result, many conscientious objectors are denied protection and remain vulnerable to prosecution. Moreover, alternative service is punitive in practice, lasting longer than regular military service.

The report highlights how the denial of meaningful access to conscientious objection operates within a broader system of militarisation - one that shapes education, restricts rights, and normalises compulsory military service as a civic duty.

Read the full report here.