In reality, the 117th brigade of the territorial defense merely organizes shooting lessons and pre-medical training to schoolchildren, which is a normal and widespread practice.
The 117th territorial defense brigade brings boxes of weapons to educational institutions of the Sumy region, pro-Russian sources claim. According to propagandists, a gun is provided for each student and teacher, which they must use in the fight against the occupiers if the region comes under enemy control. This was allegedly reported by concerned teachers. The only evidence of the news is a photo of some of these boxes with weapons and a photo of the military giving a lesson to schoolchildren.
This information is not true. First of all, although the propagandists claim that local teachers reported on the «dangerous actions» of the 117th brigade, the original source of the information was precisely the propagandist telegram channel UKROPSKY FRESH, which regularly publishes various types of disinformation about war in Ukraine. No Ukrainian media or resources reported on this «news». Secondly, the photo of the guns has actually been circulating online since at least 2017. Thirdly, the 117th brigade indeed shared about the educational direction of their work on the official Facebook page and published photos that are now used by propagandists. In fact, territorial defense representatives conduct training on pre-medical aid and shooting with students of secondary schools of Sumy, which is a normal and common practice. One of the photos on the board even shows students being taught the M.A.R.C.H. algorithm, which is used to determine the order of medical aid in tactical and combat situations. In a country at war, such information can save lives, so it is natural that it is taught to children.
Thus, there is no reason to believe that Ukrainian schoolchildren are really being prepared for sabotage against the occupiers. However, it is interesting that this is not the first fake in which the 117th territorial defense brigade is accused of involving children and teenagers in military operations. Previously StopFake refuted the information that the first «children’s brigade» in Ukraine was being formed in Sumy Oblast.
