War Camps for Kids in Pro-US and Pro-Russia Regions
Daily Mail & The Guardian & Al Jazeera & CEFE
(February 6, 2022) — Eastern Europe suffers from political violence and armed conflicts within and between societies because of the post-Soviet paradigm of military patriotic upbringing which produces obedient conscripts rather than responsible citizens and voters
In Neo-Nazi Military Camp, Recruits As Young
As Six Are Being Taught How to Fire Weapons
(August 13, 2015) — Azov battalion, the far-right militia defending the port city of Mariupol, eastern Ukraine, runs the course for children. During the week-long course, they teach so-called ‘Azovets’ how to fire weapons and survive in a conflict zone.
Conflict broke out in April 2014, when separatists rebelled against rule of Kiev’s new Western-looking government. They’re the ultra-Nationalist swastika-loving battalion, which is openly against the ceasefire agreed with pro-Russian separatists.
Now extremists from the Azov unit, a far-right neo-Nazi militia defending the port city of Mariupol in southeastern Ukraine, are teaching children as young as six how to fire guns in an attempt to entice them into the country’s bloody conflict.
Disturbing pictures have emerged from a military summer camp held on the outskirts of Kiev, which show members of the voluntary group teaching so-called ‘Azovets’ how to behave as young fighters. Read more online.
The Guardian: In Ukraine, the far-right Azov militia is fighting on the frontline – and running a summer camp for children. The Guardian visited the camp and followed 16-year-old Anton through his experiences. Is Azov really a modern Hitler Youth organisation, or is it trying to prepare young Ukrainians for the tough reality that awaits them?
Al-Jazeera: Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine have set up youth training camps. Young were told that the fight is against fascism not Ukraine.
Military patriotic education is a mandatory part of the school curriculum in Ukraine to prepare boys for conscription. It includes field training and shooting. Some military lyceums teach weaponry from the first grade. Also, far-right organizations receive budget funding to organize militarized summer camps for kids.
Russia also hosts Youth Warrior Training Camps in the Donetsk region.
The Alternative:
Classes in Nonviolent Action Are Now Becoming Available
(September 11, 2021) — Working Group on Civic Education in Formal Education (CEFE) of the Eastern European Network for Citizenship Education (EENCE) discussed how to teach nonviolence and democratic peace, develop civil society and peace movements in Ukraine, Russia, and the EaP countries.
