Journalists investigate how children deported to Belarus are forced to "love Russia" – photo
The Skhemy (Schemes) project, jointly with a Belarusian service of Radio Liberty, has investigated that the meetings with Belarusian security services are being organised for the children deported from occupied Ukrainian cities to Belarus. Russian songs with military topics are played at such meetings.
Source: the Skhemy project
Details: The Yale School of Public Health's Humanitarian Research Lab reported last November that at least 2,442 children were illegally deported from Russia-occupied Ukrainian cities to children’s camps in Belarus within the first year and a half of the full-scale invasion.
The journalists have found out that the children in these are being indoctrinated with pro-Soviet narratives and militarised. For instance, they participate in meetings with Belarusian security services, hold weapons in their hands and perform skits about the war. Russian songs about military topics are being played during their leisure activities.
The investigators learned that, besides the Belarusian ones, international organisations such as the Red Cross and UNICEF were involved in organising such events.
Alexander Lukashenko, the self-proclaimed President of Belarus, made a speech at one of the New Year’s celebrations organised for children. He presented himself as the saviour of the children whose childhood was stolen by unnamed "adults". He calls Belarus, where he usurped power, "a country of stability and peace".
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