Hatred toward Ukraine - Russian schoolchildren forced to interact with 'SVO veterans'
Photo: children are being forced to seek out SVO veterans (Getty Images)
Russian authorities continue to actively militarize the education system, including by involving so-called "SVO veterans" in the upbringing of children, according to the Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine.
Teachers of history in Russian schools are reportedly being strongly "encouraged" to organize extracurricular activities in which children are tasked with searching for so-called "SVO veterans" in their local communities.
Schoolchildren are also instructed to present gifts to them and provide various forms of assistance. Following these activities, students are required to write essays intended to shape "correct value orientations."
According to the report, Russia is reviving Soviet-era educational methods of "working with veterans" as part of a broader policy of militarizing society.
"Children are being instilled with hatred toward Ukraine and Western countries. An image of ‘enemies of Russia’ is being formed in their minds, while the aggressive war is justified as an inevitable necessity to ‘defend the Motherland,'" the Center for Countering Disinformation said.
The Center also stressed that participants in the war against Ukraine are being systematically involved in propaganda aimed at children, including individuals who are war criminals and convicted criminals.
RBC-Ukraine has previously reported that Russian propaganda is also being imposed in schools in the occupied territories. Ukrainian children are reportedly told various falsehoods, including claims that universities in areas controlled by Kyiv "promote drugs and debauchery."
Students are also intimidated by claims that Ukrainian diplomas are allegedly "not recognized worldwide," while some students are threatened with being sent to the front for poor academic performance.
Despite these efforts by Russia’s propaganda apparatus, many schoolchildren continue to seek ways to enroll in Ukrainian universities and leave the occupied territories.
