President Vladimir Putin may be criticised by the West for the annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, but at home his public approval ratings have been boosted. The operation to seize the peninsula, hailed by Russian nationalists as "The Crimean Spring", led to an upsurge in what is called "military and patriotic education" of Russian youths. "Tomorrow begins today," reads the motto of a cadet school in Stavropol that was named after Alexei Yermolov, a 19th century Russian general who conquered the Caucasus for the Russian empire. Most cadets come from families of active Russian soldiers or officers from other security forces. REUTERS/Eduard Korniyenko SEARCH "KORNIYENKO TEENAGERS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY. Matching text: RUSSIA-CADETS/