this post was submitted on 30 Apr 2024
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In orphanages, schools, and camps, the military teaches children how to handle weapons. The Telegram channels of military brigades explain who the enemy is: Poland and the Baltic states.

In the photos taken by the Belarusian military, children are focused and attentive, and sometimes smile and even have happy faces. Here is a seven- or eight-year-old boy looking through the sight of a grenade launcher from the window of his school. Here is a younger girl in a red dress laughing happily as she looks at the heavy rifle in her hands.

In the video, teenagers and young children repeat after their peers: "I swear! I swear! I swear!", taking an oath in a solemn Soviet style.

These children are covered by the Belarusian state program "Lessons of Courage", which is aimed at the total militarization of the younger generation. They think that what adults in uniform are doing to them, preparing them for war is right.

We found these photos in the telegram channels of Belarusian military brigades. The Armed Forces of Belarus report on their work with children as part of the aforementioned state program.

The Belorusian 5th Special Purpose Brigade is exemplary in its work with children. It visits Russia to receive instructions and has managed to develop its activities in Belarus on a large scale. Having studied all the sources, we decided to use this particular brigade as an example to show how the militarization of young Belarusians is carried out.

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[โ€“] kaputter_Aimbot@feddit.de 13 points 5 months ago

[...] explain who the enemy is: Poland and the Baltic states.

That's not just the EU, those are NATO members as well. Same but different.

[โ€“] YeetPics@mander.xyz 10 points 5 months ago

I love authoritarian cognitive dissonance.

The soulless act of putting kids on the battlefield won't be spouted by tankies, it'll be "how on earth could our adversaries kill literal children?!

Disingenuous all the way down. Sad group of losers.

[โ€“] riodoro1@lemmy.world 9 points 5 months ago

Go manufacture more shitty farm equipment for russia. All your people with functioning brains are working in Poland anyway.

[โ€“] HootinNHollerin@lemmy.world 8 points 5 months ago

Preparing the next canon fodder

[โ€“] SteefLem@lemmy.world 6 points 5 months ago

Thats just telling your army is shit with extra steps.

[โ€“] saltesc@lemmy.world 6 points 5 months ago

That should probably be a clear indicator of how bad their future ideas are. Desperate before even starting.

[โ€“] gimpchrist@lemmy.world 2 points 5 months ago

I'm pretty sure I've heard this exact script before

[โ€“] rikudou@lemmings.world 1 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Can't they just fuck off? How the hell does destabilising their neighbours help them? They're fucked anyway, whether they manage to cause a war with the EU or they don't.

Or do they feel like this time surely Russia will keep their word and not occupy their allies?

[โ€“] aasatru@kbin.earth 1 points 5 months ago

When trying to understand Belarusian politics, the main question to ask is "how does Lukasjenko stay alive and free".

He needs to stay in power, and he's only staying in power at the mercy of Putin. And he needs his subjects to have a perception of crisis in order for them to accept his bullshit.

If he allows things to get better he'll be removed from power, at which point he'll either be imprisoned or killed.