In the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, Russian invaders have been forcing local students to make trench candles for troops.
That’s according to Dmytro Lubinets, the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights, who reported this on Facebook, Ukrinform saw.
Russian propaganda showcases production of trench candles by students as a “public initiative”. At the same time, students are offered class credit for the said “initiative”.
As the ombudsman recalled, this is just one of the measures that the Russians apply to students and children in temporarily occupied areas. A significant role in propaganda is played by the so-called military-patriotic movements, including the infamous YunArmiya (Youth Army).
“Cadet classes” are also common in schools, aimed to children are reeducated, hostile narratives are imposed onto minors as they are being mentally prepared to wage war against their home country, Ukraine.
“All these actions on the part of the enemy are aimed at erasing the identity of Ukrainian children. And the international community must react to such Russian moves. After all, this is a violation of international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions,” Lubinets emphasized.
As Ukrinform reported earlier, the Russians are planning to set up a sham “educational” body in the temporarily occupied territories that would perform a supervisory function.