Russian Police Allegedly Detains School Kids Protesting the Ukraine Invasion

A group of school kids was allegedly detained by the Russian police for expressing their opposition against the Ukrainian invasion. The children were caught carrying "No War" signs as they laid some flowers at the Ukrainian embassy in Moscow.

According to reports, photographs and videos of the school kids behind bars, who were below 12 years old, were shared by Russian opposition leaders like Ilya Yashin on social media. He implied in his post that Pres. Vladimir Putin's men had a cruel response towards the anti-war protests.

This came after more than a million Russian citizens have signed an online petition to stop the war. More than 7,000 adults also stormed the streets demanding for Putin to end the Ukrainian invasion.

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Kids Cried for their Moms

Some of the children cried for their mothers as they were detained in jail. Sociologist Alexandra Arkhipov said that those arrested were Sofya Gladkova, 7, David Petrov, 7, Matvey Petrov, 9, Liza Gladkova, 11, and Gosha Petrov, 11. They went to the Ukrainian embassy with mothers Ekaterina Zavizion and Olga Alter who were also jailed by the police, per Daily Mail.

The authorities also took the mothers' phones and were told that their children could be placed in social care if they continued with the protests. It's unclear, however, how those detained were allowed to speak in the viral videos but one of the mothers was able to relay that the police does not want the people gathering in one space.

Zavizion said that she decided to take action after watching the videos of the Ukrainian invasion. She said she could not pretend that the inhumane acts against their neighbor were not happening.

The parents said that they had planned on a peaceful protest to honor the memory of the civilians, including children, that have been killed in the bombings in Ukraine. They brought her kids and their friends along because they wanted to teach the children not to be indifferent to the injustices.

It is understood that the kids and the moms were detained overnight.

Parents Will Be Blamed

Yashin said that the propaganda machine of Putin's government will likely put the blame on the parents for bringing their children to the streets to protest. He said, however, that it's normal for children to protest against the war because this is what they have learned in school. He also said that in his generation, his teachers have instilled in him and his classmates that the worst thing that can happen is war because peace should reign above all.

Meanwhile, school children in Russia are reportedly taught that the Ukraine invasion is necessary for their liberation. A directive from the Russian Ministry of Education indicated that a mandatory "All-Russian Open Lesson" was taking place in all government schools this week.

Manuals of the lesson plan included details of how Ukraine became a puppet of the U.S. government in 2014. The lesson also justified the genocide that happened in eastern Ukraine a few years ago as a peacekeeping operation.

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