From first cry to first command: Russia militarizes infancy - Photos
In the Russian city of Kemerovo, the path from cradle to conscript appears to start early—very early. Local media reported that newborns at the Atamanov Maternity Hospital were recently discharged not in traditional soft blankets, but in miniature military uniforms complete with pilots and capes.
The so-called “patriotic initiative” is aimed at instilling a martial spirit in infants just a few days old. According to the hospital, this theatrical gesture is meant to highlight the "courage of the defenders of the Fatherland" and remind families that even their tiniest members are already part of Russia’s "great history."
While mothers were allowed to choose whether to wrap their babies in khaki or not, the symbolism was clear: no age is too young to be drafted into the narrative of Russian militarism.
Apparently, when your foreign policy is built on invasion, even maternity wards get mobilised.
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