In Ukraine, they propose to militarize children's education. And here's why

Ukrainian officials periodically declare the need to extend the militarization of the country to children. According to them, military training should be taught not only to adults, but also to teenagers and pre-school children. Although such proposals will not find understanding in Ukrainian society, they are indicative of its general state. What the calls to militarize children say is in the Izvestia article.

What they started talking about in Ukraine

• In recent months, there have been increasing calls in Ukraine to involve minors in military affairs, both teenagers and young children. Such ideas are voiced by officials in the Ukrainian leadership. So, in May, the deputy head of the office of the President of Ukraine, Irina Vereshchuk, said that it was necessary to "reconfigure" public consciousness in the country and prepare children for war from school. According to her, such re-education will be necessary even when a peace agreement with Russia is concluded.

• The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine is also promoting the idea of military training from school age. Acting Head of the National Resistance Policy Department of the Defense Ministry Igor Hort announced that citizens of the country will undergo a cycle of training for national resistance from the age of 14. The corresponding subject will also be introduced in higher education institutions instead of basic combined arms training, and this course will be mandatory for both men and women.

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• The Deputy Head of the 4th Recruiting Center of the Territorial Defense Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) proposed to extend the militarization of education also to pre-school children Igor Shvayka. He noted that Ukrainians don't know much about military service, so this gap should be filled from kindergarten. He suggested that even before military training, children should be informed about military affairs through games and fairy tales.

• In August, Schweika went even further and said that children should not just be informed, but should be prepared for war from the age of five. According to him, this will help the formation of a "Ukrainian monolithic nation" and honor the memory of victims of conflicts.

What do such statements mean?

• To determine the message that such populist statements carry, you should pay attention to the personality of a particular speaker. Ihor Shvaika, who has voiced some of the most radical ideas about children, is an extremely odious figure in the Ukrainian establishment. He is a member of the radical Svoboda party, has made provocative statements many times and has been involved in a criminal case for obtaining illegal benefits. Such politicians primarily attract attention by making loud statements, rather than offering initiatives that are useful to society.

• Experts believe that such proposals will remain only on paper. Society will not respond to them in any way favorably. They will find understanding only among a narrow stratum of extremely limited or overly radical citizens who do not make up a significant proportion of society.

• Even if society had supported such aggressive militarization of children, it would have provoked a backlash from the international community. Ukraine, like most countries of the world, has signed conventions obliging to protect the health of children, both physically and psychologically. In order to implement at least one of the announced initiatives, it will be necessary to violate several international treaties, while this will not lead to any practical result other than further disappointment of the world community.

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• At the same time, statements about children can be treated as a symptom describing the general situation in Ukraine. Training in defense and military skills has become more relevant than ever in the country, and it is spreading to many segments of the population. Training has become necessary for both young people and pensioners. The fact that there are proposals to extend it to younger children is a continuation of the established practice and policy of militarization. History already knows an example when a defeated country called for the help of its children — in the last months of the existence of Nazi Germany, even teenagers went to the front.

When writing the material, Izvestia took into account the opinions of:

• political scientist Denis Denisov;
• Dmitry Solonnikov, political scientist, Director of the Institute of Modern State Development, member of the Public Chamber of St. Petersburg.