Russian Kindergartens Reenact Leningrad Siege With Bread Lines and Ration Cards

Russian kindergartens held events commemorating the Siege of Leningrad, where children imitated lining up as if waiting for black bread to be handed out and dressed in warm scarves.

In Russian kindergartens, events were held to commemorate January 27, the anniversary of Leningrad’s liberation from the German siege. According to a report by Verstka, children were made to weigh black bread on scales, draw ration cards, and participate in videos about hunger.

For example, at the ‘Ulybka’ kindergarten in Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod region, a reenactment was arranged, where a bread distribution point was set up outdoors as part of a commemorative event. Children were filmed in a black-and-white video wearing woolen scarves and pulling sleds through the snow with string bags to exchange ration cards for bread.

In the video, a young girl shares, “Mom tells us, 'Kids, we have half a slice of bread. Let’s eat it so the Fritzes don’t get it. Otherwise, we’ll starve to death.'”

According to Verstka, at least 110 kindergartens and schools have shared photo reports of their participation in the events on social media.

“These activities are taking place across various regions of Russia with the involvement of the ‘Movement of the First ’ and other local youth organizations,” Verstka wrote.

On January 23, it was reported that Russian schools will host “patriotic music lessons” featuring singers such as pro-Kremlin Shaman, Oleg Gazmanov, and Denis Maidanov.