Russian forces in the occupied part of Luhansk are training children to serve as snipers, according to Oleksii Kharchenko, head of the Luhansk Regional Military Administration, as reported by the local Novynarnia magazine.
A so-called Warrior military-patriotic education center has implemented a new training program that is focused on sniping skills this year.
During summer sessions, boys and girls are taught to shoot accurately at long distances.
“The instructors, 75 percent of whom have combat experience in the war in Ukraine, are preparing children for a grim future. In a few years, these youths will be sent to fight,” Kharchenko said.
Starting next year, Russia will make it more difficult for Ukrainian children to leave the Luhansk occupied area to evacuate. New border crossing rules will apply to children who are aged under 14 years.
“Previously, they could travel to several countries, including Belarus, using only their birth certificates. Under the new rules, they will need to obtain a Russian international passport,” Kharchenko said.
Meanwhile, in the temporarily occupied Donetsk region, Russia has launched a new phase of propaganda targeting even the youngest Ukrainian children in kindergartens by imposing ideological pressure from an early age.
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