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Ukrainian kids practice the art of war

Video. Young Ukrainians train for war in after-school club

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This after-school club in Shepetivka, Western Ukraine, meets thrice weekly to prepare kids for life in a war-torn country.

Founded in 2015 by Olena Drachuk, a junior sergeant, it gained urgency after Russia's 2022 invasion. While older kids teach younger ones military skills like assembling a Kalashnikov, Olena supervises. Using wooden rifles for drills, they train seriously, aware of the potential life-or-death stakes. Hundreds of such youth groups have emerged, with government support, involving 74,000 youths nationwide.

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