Blurring WWII and the War in Ukraine

At Settlement School No. 1 in Mordovia, a participant in the war against Ukraine, Junior Sergeant Andrei Shurygin, was invited to speak to students. For the occasion, he wore a military uniform from the World War II era and even donned unauthorized medals — “For Courage” and “For the Victory over Germany.”

Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, authorities have consistently tried to associate soldiers of the “special military operation” with WWII veterans, drawing parallels between the war in Ukraine and the Great Patriotic War. However, this case marks a new level of deception — when actual medals and symbols from a completely different war are literally being used as “props” for the current conflict.

This is not only a cynical distortion of the legacy of real WWII heroes, but also a violation of Article 17.11 of the Russian Code of Administrative Offenses: “Unlawful Wearing of State Awards.”