Russian soldiers purportedly left messages for Ukrainian children advocating for peace and friendship at a Kyiv school, which had been ransacked and heavily damaged during a month-long occupation.
The notes, written in chalk in Russian on blackboards inside a classroom, were discovered after Ukrainian forces liberated the village of Katyuzhanka, which had been under Russian control in March, as CNN reported.
One missive from the invaders read: “Children, forgive us for this mess. We tried to protect the school but there was shelling. Live in peace, take care of yourselves and do not repeat the mistakes of your elders. Ukraine and Russia are one nation!!! Peace be with you, brothers and sisters!”
Another letter scrawled on an adjacent blackboard beneath a portrait of Sir Isaac Newton at the Secondary School of Katyuzhanka stated: “Wishing you success in your studies! The war will end and you will be rebuilding your Motherland.
Russian soldiers purportedly left notes about peace and friendship to Ukrainian students inside a battered school in Kyiv. Courtesy of Volodymyr Runets
The note cautioned the children to “not repeat the mistakes of your elders” and claimed that Ukraine and Russia were one country. EPA“Be just and fair to one another, extend a helping hand to anyone in need. We hope that we will be friends. Go on to become doctors, engineers, teachers — those who bring peace! God protect you, and once again, forgive us that we occupied the school! Russians!” it continued.
The Post could not independently confirm that the notes were penned by Russian forces.
Mikola Mikitchik, the principal of the school, told CNN last month he felt disgusted when he came upon the handwritten notes addressing his students.
The note claimed the Russians tried to protect the school and asked children to forgive the “mess.” Getty Images
Mikola Mikitchik, the principal of the school, said the note “disgusted” him. EPA
Ukraine’s Ministry of Education claims the war has destroyed almost 2,000 schools. AP“They wrote ‘Russians and Ukrainians are brothers’ and at the same time they robbed the school … they ruined computers, they took out hard drives, they took away laptops, printers, they left nothing at the school!” he said. “It’s barbarism and hypocrisy.”
Most of the school’s valuable equipment had been hauled away, and whatever had not been stolen was wrecked to smithereens, including a recently renovated kitchen.
Mikitchkin said the ravaged school property was found littered with mines and bullets. A makeshift cemetery was discovered in the yard and deep trenches had been dug on the soccer field.
Principal Mikola Mikitchik said a cemetery had been dug in the school’s yard. NurPhoto via Getty ImagesThe principal estimated the damage to the school at about $170,000.
According to Ukraine’s Ministry of Education, more than 1,888 schools have been damaged or destroyed since the start of the war on Feb. 24.
Similar messages calling for peace, friendship and forgiveness directed at Ukrainian students have been found at other schools in previously occupied areas.
One note that was written on a blackboard at Zdvyzhivka Grammar School in a village outside Kyiv proclaimed: “Putin is your president. Children, study diligently, Russia needs educated citizens.”
To Ukrainians, those missives allegedly left behind by the invaders have become symbols of their cynicism and cruelty.
In Russia, however, the school notes have been widely praised by Kremlin-controlled news outlets as “touching” and “sincere” expressions of Russian soldiers’ goodwill.
