Securing a state-funded university place has long allowed talented applicants to obtain prestigious degrees and access better career opportunities. But critics say the Ukraine war has upended that system by prioritizing soldiers and their children.

'It's Like Winning at Roulette': War Quotas Squeeze Russian Students Out of Free University Spots - The Moscow Times"SVO children, f*** you, let me get into university," a Russian teenager says in a TikTok video, using the Kremlin-sanctioned term for the war in Ukraine.www.themoscowtimes.com