Russia forces children in occupied territories to make greeting cards for North Korean troops

Ukrainian children in the temporarily occupied territories are being coerced by occupying Russian authorities to make greeting cards for North Korean soldiers who are currently fighting against Ukraine, according to the National Resistance Center (NRC).

“In the temporarily occupied territories, Russians held lessons of ‘international friendship’ where children drew postcards in support of North Korea,” the NRC reported.

Children were instructed to draw the flag of the North Korean communist regime, as well as side-by-side images of Russian and North Korean soldiers. 

“In this way, children were shown the allegedly friendly policy of the Russian Federation with other countries,” the NRC added.

The morale boosting ploy for the North Korean mercenaries involves collecting the greeting cards with so-called volunteers delivering them to the soldiers. 

“Any teacher involved in these occupation propaganda activities is an accomplice to a crime and will be held accountable,” the NRC emphasized.

Earlier, Pavlo Sadokha, UWC Vice-President and President of the Union of Ukrainians in Portugal, pointed out that European countries often underestimate the threat of Russian propaganda, seeing it as part of the democratic process.

Sadokha cited the example of children in Spain writing letters of support to Russian soldiers, noting that this is part of the Kremlin’s broader strategy to influence young people.