‘The school bell will never ring again’ for over 500 Ukrainian children killed by Russia
While most Ukrainian children are returning to school today (Sept. 1), that won’t be the case for more than 500 who have died as a direct result of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the country’s prosecutor general reported, Andriy Kostin, on Sept. 1.
"Sept. 1 marks the first day of school in Ukraine. For tens of thousands of children living in temporarily occupied territories or forcibly relocated to Russia, this day is not a new beginning but another attempt at Russification," Kostin said.
"The school bell will never ring again for hundreds of children whose lives were taken by Russian aggression."
Another 1,117 children have been wounded, more than 19,500 have been forcibly displaced, and over 2,700 educational institutions have been destroyed, Kostin reported.
"Children in occupied territories or those deported to Russia have been subjected to "Russian state re-education. This is a clear and blatant violation of international law, which explicitly prohibits an occupying power from interfering with educational activities in occupied territory," Kostin said.
"The 'educational standards' imposed by Russia are aimed not at the comprehensive development of an individual but at erasing Ukrainian identity and instilling loyalty to the occupying state. Russia is doing everything to destroy our future and erase our past."
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