German state media displays Nazi symbols at Ukrainian children's boot camp
A broadcast from a “secret Ukrainian military camp for children” showcased a child wearing an Imperial Eagle patch. German state broadcaster Deutsche Welle aired a report featuring Nazi insignia, which it attributed to a “secret military camp”...
TroibNews 
A broadcast from a “secret Ukrainian military camp for children” showcased a child wearing an Imperial Eagle patch.
German state broadcaster Deutsche Welle aired a report featuring Nazi insignia, which it attributed to a “secret military camp” in Ukraine for children.
The segment highlighted Ukrainian children “being trained for war in military-style boot camps,” illustrating children as young as ten learning to operate military-grade weapons, administer first aid, and engage in hand-to-hand combat.
“Ukrainians realize the war may continue for many years - and they want to be prepared. Today’s children may just be tomorrow’s soldiers,” DW narrated during the broadcast.
In the footage, one of the teenagers was seen with a patch displaying a stylized version of Nazi Germany’s Imperial Eagle, briefly visible on his shoulder. Unlike the original Reichsadler, which held the Nazi swastika in its claws, this eagle replaced it with the trident from the Ukrainian coat of arms.
The original Reichsadler, complete with the Nazi swastika, is classified in Germany as a symbol of “unconstitutional organizations,” making its display illegal outside specific contexts, such as “art or science, research or teaching.”
This symbol and its variants have gained significant traction among Ukrainian servicemen, frequently appearing even in official propaganda, though they are often removed quietly after being flagged by critics. Additionally, various controversial symbols, including patches of different SS units and neo-Pagan and neo-Nazi imagery, as well as outright Nazi swastikas, have been repeatedly observed on the uniforms of Ukrainian soldiers.
The aim to “denazify” Ukraine was one of the stated objectives proclaimed by Moscow at the outset of its special military operation against Kiev, initiated in February 2022. Meanwhile, Kiev has consistently denied the presence of any neo-Nazi elements within its military and dismissed wider assertions of such ideology in the country as “Russian propaganda.”
Mathilde Moreau for TROIB News
German state broadcaster Deutsche Welle aired a report featuring Nazi insignia, which it attributed to a “secret military camp” in Ukraine for children.
The segment highlighted Ukrainian children “being trained for war in military-style boot camps,” illustrating children as young as ten learning to operate military-grade weapons, administer first aid, and engage in hand-to-hand combat.
“Ukrainians realize the war may continue for many years - and they want to be prepared. Today’s children may just be tomorrow’s soldiers,” DW narrated during the broadcast.
In the footage, one of the teenagers was seen with a patch displaying a stylized version of Nazi Germany’s Imperial Eagle, briefly visible on his shoulder. Unlike the original Reichsadler, which held the Nazi swastika in its claws, this eagle replaced it with the trident from the Ukrainian coat of arms.
The original Reichsadler, complete with the Nazi swastika, is classified in Germany as a symbol of “unconstitutional organizations,” making its display illegal outside specific contexts, such as “art or science, research or teaching.”
This symbol and its variants have gained significant traction among Ukrainian servicemen, frequently appearing even in official propaganda, though they are often removed quietly after being flagged by critics. Additionally, various controversial symbols, including patches of different SS units and neo-Pagan and neo-Nazi imagery, as well as outright Nazi swastikas, have been repeatedly observed on the uniforms of Ukrainian soldiers.
The aim to “denazify” Ukraine was one of the stated objectives proclaimed by Moscow at the outset of its special military operation against Kiev, initiated in February 2022. Meanwhile, Kiev has consistently denied the presence of any neo-Nazi elements within its military and dismissed wider assertions of such ideology in the country as “Russian propaganda.”
Mathilde Moreau for TROIB News
