Head of military club in Crimea to be tried for militarization of children

The case against the head of the Varyag military-patriotic club was sent to court. He is accused of militarizing Crimean children and promoting service in the Russian army.

This was reported by the Center for Investigative Journalism.

The Prosecutor's Office of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol submitted to the court an indictment against the head of the military-patriotic club "Varyag", who spread among Crimean children and youth the idea of service in the army of the aggressor state. According to the media, it is a collaborator Oleksandr Dyachenko.

He is accused of violating the laws and customs of war (Part 1 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine), the Prosecutor's Office of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea said.

The investigation established that in December 2017, Dyachenko created and headed the Varyag club in Simferopol. It was used to train teenagers from the age of 14 for future service in the Russian army under the guise of labor, sports and pre-professional education.

In order to attract more young people, in 2020, in an interview with a propaganda resource, he openly called on schoolchildren to enroll in specialized centers. For such actions, he faces up to 12 years in prison.

Law enforcement officers served the collaborator with a notice of suspicion back in April. According to the investigation, in December 2017, he founded this club in Simferopol and became its leader, organizing the training of teenagers aged 14 and over to serve in the army of the aggressor state.

To attract more children and young people, in 2019 he headed another structure, the Union of Crimean Border Guards, which also engaged in the militarization of schoolchildren. And in 2020, he openly called on teenagers to join the Russian army, agitating them to join patriotic education centers and educational institutions that prepare a mobilization reserve for the Russian armed forces.

The head of the Crimean branch of the Russian DOSAAF will also be brought to court for campaigning for service in the occupiers' army among civilians and minors. He may face up to 12 years in prison for violating the laws and customs of war. The investigation established that he personally organized and disseminated propaganda for the military service of the Russian Federation among Crimean residents, including children and adolescents.

Анна Бальчінос