[...]
Three years [ago], the governor of St. Petersburg signed a sister-city agreement with the occupying authorities of Mariupol, the Ukrainian port city that was razed to the ground in a devastating Russian siege just weeks beforehand.
“Since then, St. Petersburg has hosted children from Mariupol for every camp session — both in summer and winter,” said Governor Alexander Beglov.
This 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 under Russian shelling.
But from the very first sessions, children were also taught to develop respect and love for the country that seized their home city.
[...]
Today 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 Vladimir Putin and his children’s rights commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova in connection with these deportations.
Ukrainian experts say Russia is deliberately stripping these children of their Ukrainian identity and raising them to become Russians, turning minors into a new generation loyal to the Kremlin.
The educational program at Camp Druzhnykh lists goals that include fostering a national — that is, Russian — identity among the children.
[...]
The camp also organizes a career fair where children can learn about the job market in Russia. In June, it featured a police college that accepts students as early as ninth grade. Students from the college spoke to the children about the ceremonial police oath and showed them how to take fingerprints.
[...]
Now in high school, Masha [a girl form Mariupol, not her real name] quietly dreams of moving to St. Petersburg for university. But when she talks about the future, there is a sadness in her voice [...] “I used to think living in Russia was easy. But then my mom tried to get a job at Pyaterochka [a discount supermarket chain], and the salary was under 20,000 rubles (less than $253) — while the country’s minimum subsistence level is 17,000 ($215). That’s when I realized life in Russia is hard. You don’t live — you survive.”
I even linked to the war crimes, and you're accusing me of defending genocide? I even prefaced the comment with Russia not having any right (they are in the wrong).
"Misplaced" was a bad choice of words, as I did not mean to imply that they are orphans whose family is gone. But they are forcibly placed in an unfavorable place.
I didn't see anything that would hint at their old society being bad, but there was indeed "here is good" present, which could imply the former, depending on the angle. And the angle being "Russia is a great country", there's easily the corresponding association of its enemies, I concur.
By trying to look at the "not so bad" aspects of things, I'm not defending the bad. Thoughts are not black and white, having to be either for or against. For example:
My grandpa dies, and I say "He lived a long and prosperous life". I'm not implying that dying is not bad, therefore good. There are nuances, just like with this conflict. "At least the kids get to laugh" is not defending/encouraging them being stolen away from their families.
What I'm getting at, is that considering the dark times we live in, we should not ignore the nuances. There are many good things that have come from this conflict, like an unprecedented unity among nations, people standing up against heinous acts, and an incredible support system.
But let me capitalize the following, so it's abundantly clear:
This does not excuse the villains nor their acts!
While consequences should be given to the perpetrators, we should try and not get consumed by the darkness. There are many people caught in the middle suffering - do not let them suffer just because they are part of a system that is failing them. This includes Russia, US, as well as the rest of the world.
Not all forms of genocide, this particular one. I also said i don't think you're doing it intentional. I appreciate you're trying to bring nuance, i think it's important we keep seeing good things in between the bad things. But the danger of only writing on the not so bad parts, we make it easier for the people who are defending the bad things (Russian trolls in this case) to drop their narrative. My post was meant more as a warning than as an accusation. Also because it can be hard to see in what ways something can be interpreted while you yourself know exactly what you mean by it. But i'll say again, despite i think your comment (not you as a person) defended genocide or could be seen as such, i really think it is a good thing your not putting everyone is the same box.
If we loose sight of that, we will stop caring for their fates and that likely will only increase their suffering.
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These children and their families go through hell. This is pure genocide. There are no "not so bad aspects" of things. It is only black, there is no white at all,