Russians took children from Luhansk Region to religious services in combat zone - National Resistance Center

On Christmas Day, religious services were held near the line of combat contact in the Luhansk Region with the participation of servicemen of the 3rd combined arms army of the aggressor country, russia. Children were forcibly recruited to these prayer services, who were organized to be taken from TOT settlements to the immediate frontline zone. The main goal is to create a "correct" propaganda image with children, military personnel and church symbols, despite the real threat of shelling and the death of minors. This is stated in the message of the National Resistance Center (NRC).

According to the NRC, the places where the prayer services were held were within the reach of artillery and UAVs. The organizers knew about the risks, but deliberately ignored them.

"Children were used as living props: they were placed next to the military, forced to stand during church services and participate in filming. Some of the children were transported by bus through schools and so-called patriotic associations, without the real consent of their parents," the Center said.

The NRC added that priests controlled by the occupation administration played a special role in these events. It was they who accompanied the children in the frontline zone, blessed the military, and publicly justified the presence of minors on the frontline with rhetoric about "unity," "service," and "spiritual support for the army."

"In fact, the clergy became an accomplice in the militarization of childhood, covering up dangerous actions with religious symbols," the Center emphasized.

According to information from the NRC analysts, it is known that refusal to participate in such events is recorded by the occupation administrations and can have consequences for families - from pressure on parents to problems in schools.

"This indicates that this is not a one-time initiative, but a systematic practice of using children as a propaganda tool. The occupation authorities of the russian federation and religious structures controlled by them deliberately expose children to mortal danger for the sake of informational effect. War is presented as a normal environment for minors, and children's lives are sacrificed to a picture of loyalty, where weapons, the front line and "blessings" become part of a scenario imposed from childhood," the Center summarized.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, at the Kherson Region TOT, the occupiers turned children's holidays into a military demonstration.