Guest
(12 Nov 2018) A stun grenade wakes up young campers in the middle of the night. They stumble out of their tents, some with the AK-47s they are learning to use. The instructor advises boys and girls not to think of Ukraine's enemies as human beings. So, when they shoot, they will shoot to kill. SOUNDBITE (Ukrainian) Yuri Cherkashin, Instructor “Never aim at people. Ever. But we don't consider separatists, little green men, Moscow occupiers, as people. So you can and should aim at them.“ Cherkashin was one of 300,000 Ukrainians who fought pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine. Most campers are teens, but some are as young as 8 years old. The Associated Press got rare access to the camp hidden in a forest in western Ukraine. It was created by a far-right nationalist group for two purposes: to train children to defend their country from Russians and to spread nationalist ideology. SOUNDBITE (Ukrainian) Ruslan Andreiko, member of Svoboda party: “All those 'gender things, all those perverted values of modern Bolsheviks who took over Europe now. Now they try to teach us LGBT and gay pride parades.“ The nationalists have been accused of violence and racism, but they have played a central role in Ukraine's conflict with Russia. They have maintained links with the government which earmarked about $150,000 to fund some of the youth camps built by the nationalists. UPSOUND (Ukrainian) Campers chanting: “When there is power, there is freedom.“ Hundreds of Ukrainian youths have gone through nationalist training camps in recent years. The sticker on a camper's guitar says: “White Europe is our goal.“ SOUNDBITE (Ukrainian) Mykhailo (Note only one name given here) 18-year-old camper: “Every moment, things can go wrong in our country. And one has to be ready for it. That's why I come to this camp. To study how to protect myself and my loved ones.“ Find out more about AP Archive: Twitter: Facebook: Instagram: You can license this story through AP Archive:
