Russia: Primary school students detained for anti-war slogan

Wednesday, 2nd March 2022

Moscow, Russia: As per claims of an opposition leader - Ilya Yashin, in Russia, the students of the primary school has been detained over anti-war protest slogans. Yashin shares a picture of three children sitting in what appears to be a police van while holding a slogan translated as "no to war" on the placard. Tweet of the Russian politician states, "Nothing out of the ordinary: just kids in paddy wagons behind an anti-war poster. This is Putin's Russia, folks. You live here—the realities of Putin's Russia, guys. I am sure that the Kremlin propaganda will now raise a war: do not involve children in politics! They are to blame!". "But in fact, many generations in our country were taught from the school bench that the worst thing is war, and the main value is the peaceful sky above the head. I still remember very well how, in my native Tushin school, N172, we utilised to draw anti-war posters & stengazets behind the desk. And that is ok! Children against war is damn normal! Children should absorb anti-war ideas with breast milk. And now this is equal to extremism - and this is madness", the post's statement further reads. According to the country's local media, so far, more than 7,000 Russians have been detained for standing against and opposing the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The aforementioned data of arrested individuals have been shared by the human rights project OVD-Info. A statement has been issued by Russia's internet censor board, Roskomnadzor notes that describing the ongoing military operations of the Russian Army as an "invasion" can result in the website being blocked. Following the invasion of Russia in Ukraine, several nations, as well as international agencies, issued sanctions against the country. The United Kingdom recently announced a ban on several Russian banks, while numerous countries banned Russian airlines from entering their airspace. Meanwhile, the Foreign Ministry of Ukraine claims that another missile attack of the Russian Army, which hits Kyiv's TV tower, has killed at least five people.