Some were taught to handle guns, others were dressed in military fatigues, and more were forced to listen to speeches by soldiers involved in Vladimir Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine
Children were forced to kneel to the Russian flag as schools went into a patriotic frenzy over the war on the first day of the new academic year.
Some were taught to handle guns, others were dressed in military fatigues, and more were forced to listen to speeches by soldiers involved in Vladimir Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine. Pupils in Krasnoyarsk were ordered to their knees as they held a gigantic Russian tricolour flag in a patriotic song performance.
A pro-war local MP Ilya Zaitsev said this was “a cool format for everyone”. In Simferopol – capital of annexed Crimea – schoolchildren were told they should donate their lunch money to the military. A sign on a collection box said: “School pizza costs 100 roubles [82p/$1.04], the life of a soldier is priceless. We don’t leave ours behind.”
At school number 172 in Nizhny Novgorod, first year pupils were dressed in military fatigues and ordered to carry dummy Kalashnikov assault rifles, despite protests from parents. A priest joined in the pro-war propaganda session on day one of the new term.