INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Dozens of people dressed in the colors of the Russian flag gathered at the train station in Zelenogorsk just outside St
Petersburg signed a sister-city agreement with the occupying authorities of Mariupol, the Ukrainian port city that was razed to the ground
summer, Russian authorities are organizing five three-week camp sessions for children from the occupied city
Each session is led by child psychologists, St
Petersburg schoolteachers and camp counselors who recently graduated from teacher training college
More than 2,000 schoolchildren from Mariupol in total are expected to attend camps in St
Petersburg this year.Initially, Russian authorities billed these summer programs as health and wellness retreats for children who had lived
But from the very first sessions, children were also taught to develop respect and love for the country that seized their home
city.@goroda_pobratimyToday Ukraine has confirmed the deportation of 19,546 children from occupied Ukrainian territories to Russia, though
experts say the real number is likely much higher.In March 2023, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for President
is deliberately stripping these children of their Ukrainian identity and raising them to become Russians, turning minors into a new
identity among the children.Ahead of the Russia Day holiday on June 12, camp counselors took the children on a sightseeing tour of St
this camp told The Moscow Times, speaking on condition of anonymity for safety reasons
Petersburg, some of them spoke about their work
tried to shield the children completely from the horrors of war
They remember that time as filled with happy memories with their parents
absorbed all the other traumas in their lives like a sponge
recalled.@goroda_pobratimyExcursions were not the only tool used by camp administrators to instill love for Russia
On June 10, children painted St
learn about the job market in Russia
In June, it featured a police college that accepts students as early as ninth grade
I wanted to help them because they were deeply traumatized
She was paid about 7,000 rubles (roughly $87) for the session.Masha, a girl from Mariupol, also attended a session at the camp
Her school offered the trip to St
Petersburg as a reward for good grades
By the time she arrived at the camp, she already had a Russian passport
high school, Masha quietly dreams of moving to St
Petersburg for university
Petersburg] you need to be able to support yourself, to have some kind of income
philologist, then work, get a second degree and maybe land a job in some city administration making 35,000 rubles ($444) a month
