How Kremlin Prepares Russians for War Starting in Kindergarten
In the Russian city of Chelyabinsk, participants in the war against Ukraine and local deputies held a so-called “lesson of courage” in a kindergarten. They staged a propaganda event featuring a weapons exhibition—including pistols, assault rifles, grenades, and even mines. Preschoolers were also allowed to play with model weapons.
This militaristic spectacle was actively supported by the pro-government United Russia party and involved journalists.
The Kremlin’s war propaganda targeting children defies basic human decency. This story vividly illustrates the inhuman nature of Putin’s regime, which sees children as “cannon fodder” from an early age and openly conditions them for future warfare.
Previously, the Center, together with Bring Kids Back UA—a Ukrainian initiative launched by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy—prepared an analytical report, “Militarization of Ukrainian Children in the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine.“
