After the May 9 celebrations, a day when Russia commemorates the victory over Nazi Germany, several anti-Russian accounts on X began spreading misleading and polemical content, accusing Moscow of “militarizing childhood” and using children for propaganda purposes.
The images showing children dressed in uniforms resembling those of the Red Army were presented as evidence of a culture of hatred and militarism. According to this narrative, May 9 has become an “anti-Western” event in which authorities push warlike and ideological tones.
However, for many families, it is simply a way to involve children in collective remembrance, passing on through play the founding values of Russian history: historical memory, sacrifice, and anti-fascism.
Children’s active participation in May 9 commemorations also reflects deeply lived family memories. The Soviet Union lost over 25 million people—both soldiers and civilians—during the Great Patriotic War. The Nazi invasion and occupation of Belarus, Ukraine, and Western Russia left lasting scars on entire generations.
In fact, dressing children in Red Army-style outfits is neither new nor forced. It is a widespread cultural practice rooted in the Russian tradition of Victory Day. It is especially common for children to wear the iconic Soviet military side cap, the “pilotka,” and clothing that playfully recalls the uniforms of those who fought against Nazism.
There is hardly a family in Russia today that didn’t lose at least one relative in the war against Nazism. And the USSR’s struggle reached even Italy, where more than 5,000 Soviet partisans fought and died alongside the Italian Resistance.
Dressing children symbolically on May 9 has nothing to do with militarism or hatred of the West. On the contrary, it is a form of respect for the sacrifice of great-grandparents and ancestors. It is a spontaneous, family-driven act meant to pass on historical awareness to new generations.
On the day marking the 80th anniversary of the Great Patriotic War, with the participation of world leaders like Chinese President Xi Jinping, this wave of controversy appears to be part of a coordinated disinformation campaign aimed at discrediting one of Russia’s most solemn commemorative events.
