The investigative film ‘The War They Play’, produced by the Kyiv Independent’s War Crimes Investigation Unit, explores the ‘systematic indoctrination of Ukrainian children’ in territories temporarily occupied by russia. Its premiere will take place on October 23 at Kyiv’s Zhovten Cinema
‘The War They Play’ shows how children are forced to attend russian schools, take part in paramilitary movements, and are prepared for future enlistment in the russian army — including being taught how to handle weapons and having ‘militarization imposed through fear’.
‘Around 1.6 million Ukrainian children currently live in areas under russian control, with little to no access to Ukrainian education, — representatives of the Kyiv Independent say. — Any attempts to preserve Ukrainian identity put children and their families at risk; there is a constant threat of searches and punishment’.
The film’s team explores these themes through personal testimonies of people who have experienced similar situations, as well as information from open sources.
The film follows the story of Iryna (name changed), a woman who fled occupation to save her son from forced conscription. According to her, the occupying authorities pressured her to enroll her children in a local school — or risk having them sent to an orphanage. It also features the story of Oksana (name changed), who witnessed Ukrainian children being trained by former russian soldiers at russia’s ‘Warrior’ center.
In addition, journalists from The Kyiv Independent identified the leaders and instructors of the ‘Warrior’ center involved in the militarization of Ukrainian children and uncovered ‘how russia has built a network of organizations in occupied territories engaged in the ‘patriotic education of children’ to shape the next generation of russian armed forces’.
View this post on Instagram
‘Throughout the months of working on this investigation, I was constantly struck by how vast and all-encompassing the policy of militarization and indoctrination toward Ukrainian children in the occupied territories is, — says the film’s author, Olesia Bida. — Russia is doing everything possible to leave Ukrainian children with no choice but to join its army. Children are being conditioned to believe that life in war is a normal state and the ultimate measure of patriotism is the willingness to give one’s life for russia’.
On October 23, following its premiere screening, the film will also be released online on the YouTube channel of The Kyiv Independent.
