Belarus: the indoctrination of minors is rising in scale and taking on new forms
late April 2024, the Belarusian state ONT TV channel released a propaganda movie titled, ‘Children at Gunpoint: Recruited by the Enemy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ivAqNnSPDE
This piece portrayed a few Belarusian teenagers with anarchist views as terrorist cell members who were planning deadly attacks under the supervision of Ukrainian actors.
The film did not provide conclusive evidence for these strong accusations.
See similar reports about the presumed role of Belarus KGB in framing the teenagers.
the weeks that followed, authorities instructed schools, colleges, and universities throughout the country to organise public screenings of the movie. The video’s 45-minute length was apparently not accidental because it is the duration of a class in secondary school.
Recently, the Exarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) in Belarus has greatly expanded its access to Belarusian minors via public schools
The ideological impact of the Russian Orthodox Church over Belarusian minors is poised to increase thanks to recently revised legislation which enables monasteries to set up orphanages
/nosanitize
https://web.archive.org/web/20240511040256/https:/pravo.by/document/?guid=12551&p0=W22441535
Although the law speaks of ‘monasteries’ generally, there is no doubt that Orthodox establishments will be privileged over others
Beyond the Russian church’s influence over Belarusian schoolchildren, Moscow wields an even stronger tool in the form of mandatory school textbooks.
In May 2024, Putin’s advisor Vladimir Medinsky, a former Russian minister of culture and co-chair of the Russia-Belarus Historical Commission, stated(opens in a new tab) that the teaching of history in all types of educational institutions in Belarus and Russia should be aligned.
https://web.archive.org/web/20240516140644/https:/tass.ru/obschestvo/20818979
This trend opens the gates for Russkiy Mir ideology to enter the school curricula of Belarusian schoolchildren and students
since 2021, Belarusian authorities have established dozens of so-called ‘military and patriotic clubs’ for children.
Belarus state TV released a propaganda video featuring these ‘military and patriotic clubs’ prepared by the Interior Ministry’s press service. The 10-minute movie demonstrates the training of minors with arms and unarmed combat fighting. It also refers to such clubs as a ‘school of life’ and a ‘second family’ for children.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXD2PBoPAhs
The concluding song featured in the video says, ‘We serve our Motherland and flag until the end’.
The indoctrination of Belarusian youth with pro-Soviet and pro-Russian propaganda is quickly rising in scale and taking new worrying forms. The inclusion of propaganda in their curriculum, the influence of the Orthodox Church in schools and orphanages, and the use of ‘military and patriotic’ clubs are hard evidence of an ambition to further control the thoughts of Belarusian citizens.
adults using trust, and fear, to manipulate children is fuck't up on so many levels and some orphans, as well as other kids, will trust because they want to feel accepted - all the while they are being groomed for future war
Homo sapiens regressing to its base.
@ecksmc . Belarus is merely mini me russia.
The leading university for teachers, Belarusian State Pedagogical University, wrote(opens in a new tab) that following the movie screening, ‘[T]rainee teachers analysed the reasons which pushed teenagers to become members of a terrorist cell, and discussed their fate.
https://web.archive.org/web/20240522083014/https:/iio.bspu.by/news/universitet/prosmotr-i-obsuzhdenie-filma-rassledovaniya-deti-na-pricele-zaverbovannye-vragom
The paranoia seemed to have spread as illustrated in this recent report of KGB arresting three school children doing ordinary chemical experiments but labeled by some ‘terrorism’.
https://nashaniva.com/ru/344689