Investigators cite pamphlet given to detained Ukrainian children as evidence of Russia’s militarization

People hold Russian flags during celebrations of National Flag Day in a Russian-controlled city of Ukraine on Aug. 22.

Ukrainian children being held in detention centres in Russian-occupied territory are being told how to behave around the former Russian soldiers who guard them, evidence of Moscow’s program to militarize the children, investigators say.

A pamphlet distributed to the children warns them not to “provoke the hero!” and says that every word they say could be “the last peaceful word of the day.” It instructs them not to sneak up on the soldiers from behind, as it could “trigger combat memories,” and warns them to keep hands visible and to avoid speaking foreign languages.

“If he shouts – do not argue, hide and wait,” the pamphlet says. “Don’t complain about heat, hun