Russians Melt Down After Preschoolers Pose With Ukrainian Coat of Arms
The mayor says all preschool staffers will now undergo additional training on “patriotic” education after the embarrassing “incident.”
Stanislav Ivanov/Global Images Ukraine via Getty
Several Russian parents in the Far Eastern city of Khabarovsk were reportedly left panicking about an imagined “Nazi takeover” after a group of preschoolers who took part in a sports competition were given certificates featuring the Ukrainian coat of arms.
“An incident took place in one of the city’s daycare centers that was widely circulated on social media and in the press,” Mayor Sergei Kravchuk said in a statement.
Two daycare staffers resigned over the scandal, he said, which occurred after the children’s gym teacher “simply found templates of certificates on the internet and printed them out” for the sporting event, oblivious to the Ukrainian symbols decorating the pages. Photos of the certificate shared by angry parents show an unmistakable Ukrainian coat of arms at the top of the certificate, along with imagery of the Ukrainian flag.
Hilariously, the kids were photographed alongside a teacher grinning widely as they held up their certificates, apparently unaware of the scandal that would soon ensue.
“I apologize to the students of kindergarten No. 122 and their parents. New certificates have been issued,” Kravchuk wrote, adding that it was “unacceptable” for children to find themselves in such a controversy.
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Outraged parents fumed on social media that the mayor’s apology wasn’t enough, with some questioning if the whole fiasco could be part of a grand conspiracy.
“Was it negligence or was it a provocation???” one commenter wrote in response to news of the resignations on the VK social network.
“They’re playing dumb!” another man fumed.
The mayor says all preschool staffers will now undergo additional training on “patriotic” education after the embarrassing “incident.”
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