Boy Injured in Omsk Camp Abuse Scandal
According to the child and his mother, older students systematically beat him, while adult instructors not only ignored the violence but also practiced cruel punishments themselves.
Consensus
- An 11-year-old boy named Kirill Belko returned from a summer camp in Omsk suffering from severe injuries, including a compression fracture of the spinal column and heavy bruises.
- According to the boy and his mother, older camp attendees systematically abused him.
- Adult staff members ignored the abuse and also practiced harsh punishments.
- After public disclosure, several other families reported that their children had experienced bullying at the camp over many years under the guise of 'training future warriors'.
- The camp 'Bogatyrskaya Zashta' is run by the Cheshegorov couple, with the head of the camp being the coordinator of the Omsk 'Russian Community'.
- The project is closely supervised by the Omsk eparchy of the ROC and receives multi-million ruble presidential grants.
- The organizers have dismissed the allegations as plots by 'enemies of Russia'.
- The mother of the injured child has faced online harassment.
Coverage (4 sources)
- For freedom one must pay — Север.Реалии
- For freedom one must pay — Idel.Реалии
- For freedom one must pay — Радио Свобода
- For freedom one must pay — Сибирь.Реалии