"It is 4 o'clock in the morning. There are sirens wailing, and gunfire can be heard everywhere. Teenagers aged 13 to 14, dressed in military uniforms and armed with rifles, run out of tents. Some return the fire, while others crouch down and run over to wounded schoolchildren. They bandage them, place them on stretchers and try to get them to safety."
"The "Patriots" are a social organization that was founded in December 2020, in the wake of the crackdown on the mass protests that erupted after the disputed presidential election of the same year. On the organization's website it describes its goals as promoting "respect and pride in the state symbols of the Republic of Belarus" and preserving the state's sovereignty and independence."
"According to the authors of a report called "Children without a future: the militarization of childhood in Belarus," Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko is using war games, maneuvers and swearing-in ceremonies to prepare schoolchildren for a "hot" war. The authors argue that the militarization of children is "a strategy for the regime's survival." The report was compiled by the Association of Former BELPOL Officers and the National Anti-Crisis Management (NAU), which were both founded by critics of Lukashenko and operate in exile."
Teenagers aged 13–14 take part in staged dawn combat drills, returning fire in exercises, treating wounded classmates, and carrying stretchers during simulated attacks. Patriots of Belarus, founded in December 2020, runs a nationwide "challenge" that brings ninth and tenth grade students together to experience military life. The organization states goals of promoting respect and pride in state symbols and preserving national sovereignty. Critics organized in the Association of Former BELPOL Officers and the National Anti-Crisis Management (NAU), operating in exile, characterize these practices as war-game training, swearing-in ceremonies and maneuvers that prepare schoolchildren for armed conflict and serve the regime's survival strategy.
Read at www.dw.com
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