Training kids to kill at Ukrainian nationalist camp

The campers, some clad in combat fatigues, carefully aim their assault rifles. Their instructor offers advice: Don't think of your target as a human being.

So when these boys and girls shoot, they will shoot to kill.

Most are in their teens, but some are as young as 8 years old. They are at a summer camp created by one of Ukraine's radical nationalist groups, hidden in a forest in the west of the country, that was visited by The Associated Press. The camp has two purposes: to train children to defend their country from Russians and their sympathizers — and to spread nationalist ideology.

In this July 28, 2018 photo, participants of the "Temper of will" summer camp, organized by the nationalist Svoboda party, hold their AK-47 riffles as they receive instructions during a tactical exercise in a village near Ternopil, Ukraine. Campers as young as 8 years old practice using assault rifles. They are taught to shoot to kill Russians and their sympathizers. (AP PhotoFelipe Dana)

"We never aim guns at people," instructor Yuri "Chornota" Cherkashin tells them. "But we don't count separatists, little green men, occupiers from Moscow, as people. So we can and should aim at them."

The nationalists have been accused of violence and racism, but they have played a central, volunteer role in Ukraine's conflict with Russia — and they have maintained links with the government. Earlier this year, the Ministry of Youth and Sports earmarked 4 million hryvnias (about $150,000) to fund some of the youth camps among the dozens built by the nationalists. The purpose, according to the ministry, is "national patriotic education."

Ministry spokeswoman Natalia Vernigora said the money is distributed by a panel which looks for "signs of xenophobia and discrimination, it doesn't analyze activities of specific groups."

In this July 27, 2018 photo, young participants of the "Temper of will" summer camp, organized by the Svoboda party, walk to a campsite in a village near Ternopil, Ukraine. The camp has two purposes: to train children to defend their country _ and to spread nationalist ideology. (AP PhotoFelipe Dana)

Cherkashin is a veteran of the fight against pro-Russia separatists in eastern Ukraine; he was wounded in combat and later came to lead Sokil, or Falcon, the youth wing of the Svoboda party. It is important, he says, to inculcate the nation's youth with nationalist thought, so they can battle Vladimir Putin's Russia as well as "challenges that could completely destroy" European civilization.

Among those challenges: LGBT rights, which lecturers denounce as a sign of Western decadence.

"You need to be aware of all that," said instructor Ruslan Andreiko. "All those gender things, all those perversions of modern Bolsheviks who have come to power in Europe and now try to make all those LGBT things like gay pride parades part of the education system."

In this July 28, 2018 photo, young participants and instructors of the "Temper of will" summer camp, organized by the nationalist Svoboda party, stand in formation as they sing the national anthem in a village near Ternopil, Ukraine. Earlier this year, the Ministry of Youth and Sports earmarked 4 million hryvnias (about $150,000) to fund some of the youth camps among the dozens built by the nationalists. (AP PhotoFelipe Dana)

While some youths dozed off during lectures, others paid attention. Clearly, some were receptive.

During a break in training, a teenager played a nationalist march on his guitar. It was decorated with a sticker showing white bombs hitting a mosque, under the motto, "White Europe is Our Goal."

Aside from the lectures — and songs around the campfire — life for the several dozen youths at the Svoboda camp was hard.

In this July 27, 2018 photo, a member of Sokil (Falcon), the youth wing of the nationalist Svoboda party, stands in a forest as he guides participants to the "Temper of will" summer camp in a village near Ternopil, Ukraine. (AP PhotoFelipe Dana)

Campers were awakened in the middle of the night with a blast from a stun grenade. Stumbling out of their tents, soldiers in training struggled to hold AK-47s that were, in some cases, almost as tall as they were. They were required to carry the heavy rifles all day, and one of the girls broke down in tears from exhaustion.

At 18, Mykhailo was the oldest of the campers. The training, he said, was necessary.

"Every moment things can go wrong in our country. And one has to be ready for it," he said. "That's why I came to this camp. To study how to protect myself and my loved ones"

In this July 29, 2018 photo, Yuri "Chornota" Cherkashin, head of Sokil (Falcon), the youth wing of the nationalist Svoboda party, gives tactical instructions to young participants of the "Temper of will" summer camp in a village near Ternopil, Ukraine. "We never aim guns at people," Cherkashin tells his students. "But we don't count separatists, little green men, occupiers from Moscow as people, so we can and should aim at them." (AP PhotoFelipe Dana)

In this July 27, 2018 photo, a young participant of the "Temper of will" summer camp, organized by the nationalist Svoboda party, buttons up a camouflage shirt as he prepares for an exercise in a village near Ternopil, Ukraine. Campers as young as 8 years old practice using assault rifles. They are taught to shoot to kill Russians and their sympathizers. (AP PhotoFelipe Dana)

In this July 29, 2018 photo, Yuri "Chornota" Cherkashin, head of Sokil (Falcon), the youth wing of the nationalist Svoboda party, sits with his AK-47 rifle at the "Temper of will" summer camp in a village near Ternopil, Ukraine. "We never aim guns at people," he tells his campers. "But we don't count separatists, little green men, occupiers from Moscow as people, so we can and should aim at them." (AP PhotoFelipe Dana)

In this July 28, 2018 photo, young participants of the "Temper of will" summer camp, organized by the nationalist Svoboda party, sit inside a tent with their AK-47 riffles as they receive instructions during a tactical exercise in a village near Ternopil, Ukraine. The camp has two purposes: to train children to defend their country _ and to spread nationalist ideology. (AP PhotoFelipe Dana)

In this July 27, 2018 photo, young participants of the "Temper of will" summer camp, organized by the nationalist Svoboda party, gather in-between exercises in a village near Ternopil, Ukraine. (AP PhotoFelipe Dana)

In this July 28, 2018 photo, a young participant of the "Temper of will" summer camp, organized by the nationalist Svoboda party, uses his cellphone to call his parents in a village near Ternopil, Ukraine. (AP PhotoFelipe Dana)

In this July 28, 2018 photo, young participants of the "Temper of will" summer camp, organized by the nationalist Svoboda party, hold a plank position before having dinner in a village near Ternopil, Ukraine. (AP PhotoFelipe Dana)

In this July 29, 2018 photo, instructor Georgiy Barylenko, left, holds a flashlight as he walks with a young participant of the "Temper of will" summer camp, organized by the nationalist Svoboda party, during a night drill in a village near Ternopil, Ukraine. (AP PhotoFelipe Dana)

In this July 29, 2018 photo, a young participant of the "Temper of will" summer camp, organized by the nationalist Svoboda party, takes position with her unloaded AK-47 riffle during a night exercise in a village near Ternopil, Ukraine. (AP PhotoFelipe Dana)

In this July 28, 2018 photo, young participants of the "Temper of will" summer camp, organized by the nationalist Svoboda party, receive instructions in a village near Ternopil, Ukraine. The camp has two purposes: to train children to defend their country _ and to spread nationalist ideology. (AP PhotoFelipe Dana)

In this July 28, 2018 photo, a young participant of the "Temper of will" summer camp, organized by the nationalist Svoboda party, plays a guitar decorated with a sticker depicting bombs hitting a mosque, as others sing around a bonfire in a village near Ternopil, Ukraine. (AP PhotoFelipe Dana)

In this July 28, 2018 photo, a young participant of the "Temper of will" summer camp, organized by the nationalist Svoboda party, grabs his AK-47 during a tactical exercise in a village near Ternopil, Ukraine. "We never aim guns at people," instructor Yuri "Chornota" Cherkashin tells campers. "But we don't count separatists, little green men, occupiers from Moscow as people, so we can and should aim at them." (AP PhotoFelipe Dana)

In this July 29, 2018 photo, Mykhailo adjusts his AK-47 riffle after bathing in a river during the "Temper of will" summer camp, organized by the nationalist Svoboda party, in a village near Ternopil, Ukraine. At 18, he is the oldest of the campers. "Every moment things can go wrong in our country. And one has to be ready for it," he said. "That's why I came to this camp. To study how to protect myself and my loved ones." (AP PhotoFelipe Dana)

In this July 28, 2018 photo, Mykhailo, 18, center, leads other young participants of the "Temper of will" summer camp, organized by the nationalist Svoboda party, as they stand in formation singing nationalist songs in a village near Ternopil, Ukraine. Mykhailo is the oldest of the campers. "Every moment things can go wrong in our country. And one has to be ready for it," he said. "That's why I came to this camp. To study how to protect myself and my loved ones." (AP PhotoFelipe Dana)

In this July 29, 2018 photo, instructor Georgiy Barylenko, holds a flare as he instructs young participants of the "Temper of will" summer camp, organized by the nationalist Svoboda party, during a night drill in a village near Ternopil, Ukraine. (AP PhotoFelipe Dana)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House was set Thursday to deliver a rebuke to President Joe Biden for pausing a shipment of bombs to Israel, voting on legislation that would seek to force the weapons transfer as Republicans worked to highlight Democratic divisions over the Israel-Hamas war.

Seeking to discourage Israel from its offensive on the crowded southern Gaza city of Rafah, the Biden administration this month put on hold a weapons shipment of 3,500 bombs — some as large as 2,000 pounds — that are capable of killing hundreds in populated areas. Republicans were outraged, accusing Biden of abandoning the closest U.S. ally in the Middle East.

Debate over the bill, rushed to the House floor by GOP leadership this week, showed Washington's deeply fractured outlook on the Israel-Hamas war. The White House and Democratic leadership have scrambled to rally support from a House caucus that ranges from moderates frustrated that the president would allow any daylight between the U.S. and Israel to progressives outraged that he is still sending any weapons at all.

On the right, Republicans said the president had no business chiding Israel for how it uses the U.S.-manufactured weapons that are instrumental in its war against Hamas. They have not been satisfied with the Biden administration moving forward this week on a new $1 billion sale to Israel of tank ammunition, tactical vehicles and mortar rounds.

“We’re beyond frustrated,” Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said. “I don’t think we should tell the Israelis how to conduct their military campaign, period.”

The House bill condemns Biden for initiating the pause on the bomb shipment and would withhold funding for the State Department, Department of Defense and the National Security Council until the delivery is made.

The White House has said Biden would veto the bill if it passes Congress, and the Democratic-led Senate seems certain to reject it.

“It’s not going anywhere," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said this week.

Republicans were undeterred as they tried to highlight Democratic divides on the Israel-Hamas war. Appearing on the Capitol steps ahead of voting Thursday morning, House Republican leaders argued that passage of the bill in the House would build pressure on Schumer and Biden.

“It is President Biden and Senator Schumer himself who are standing in the way of getting Israel the resources it desperately needs to defend itself,” Speaker Mike Johnson said.

Biden placed the hold on the transfer of the bombs this month over concerns the weapons could inflict massive casualties in Rafah. The move underscored growing differences between his administration and Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government over its handling of the war.

Over 30,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed as Israel tries to eliminate Hamas in retaliation for its Oct. 7 attack that killed 1,200 people in Israel and took about 250 more captive. Hundreds of thousands of people could be at risk of death if Israel attacks Rafah, the United Nations humanitarian aid agency has warned, because so many have fled there for safety.

The heavy toll of the Israeli campaign has prompted intense protests on the left, including on university campuses nationwide and some aimed directly at Biden. At the same time, a group of moderate Democrats in Congress have expressed almost unconditional support for Israel. Roughly two dozen House Democrats last week signed onto a letter to the Biden administration saying they were “deeply concerned about the message” sent by pausing the bomb shipment.

Faced with the potential for a significant number of those Democrats voting for the GOP House bill, the White House has been in touch this week with lawmakers and congressional aides about the legislation, including with a classified briefing on the security situation.

House Democratic leadership has also worked hard to convince rank-and-file lawmakers to vote against the bill.

“This is another political stunt from the House GOP," said Rep. Katherine Clark, a Connecticut Democrat who is no. 2 in House leadership. She said the bill would endanger national security by withholding funding from key defense agencies.

Rep. Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said he thought that “very few” Democrats would vote for the bill, saying it was more about political messaging than enacting actual law.

With the general election campaign coming into focus, Johnson has turned to advancing partisan bills, including legislation on immigration, local policing and antisemitism, that are intended to force Democrats into taking difficult votes.

On Thursday, several Democrats who have been openly critical of Biden's hold on the bomb shipment came out in opposition to the House bill.

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Florida Democrat who signed onto the letter criticizing the pause, said she was voting against the bill because it threatened to defund U.S. national security programs.

“It's being done to score cheap political points,” she said in a floor speech.

Still, other Democrats appeared likely to support the legislation.

“The administration has been wavering so I’m going to vote for the bill when it comes to the floor,” Rep. Ritchie Torres, a New York Democrat, said this week.

Another Democrat who has criticized the pause on the bomb shipment, Rep. Jared Moskowitz of Florida, said this week he was also considering the messages being sent to the Jewish community in the United States.

“My community right now is worried,” he said. “Things don’t happen in a vacuum.”

Historically, the U.S. has sent enormous amounts of weaponry to Israel, and it has only accelerated those shipments after the Oct. 7 attack. But some progressives are pushing for an end to that relationship as they argue that Israel's campaign into Gaza amounts to genocide — a characterization that the Biden administration has rejected.

“My fear is that our government and us as citizens, as taxpayers, we are going to be complicit in genocide,” said Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Minnesota Democrat. “And that goes against everything we value as a nation.”

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., center, flanked by GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., left, and Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., speak to reporters about President Joe Biden pausing a shipment of bombs to Israel, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, May 16, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., joined at left by House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., speak to reporters about President Joe Biden pausing a shipment of bombs to Israel, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, May 16, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., joined from left by Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., speaks to reporters about President Joe Biden pausing a shipment of bombs to Israel, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, May 16, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., joined from left by Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., speaks to reporters about President Joe Biden pausing a shipment of bombs to Israel, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, May 16, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

From left, GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., speak to reporters about President Joe Biden pausing a shipment of bombs to Israel, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, May 16, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

FILE - Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., speaks with reporters to discuss his proposal of sending crucial bipartisan support to aid Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan after weeks of inaction, at the Capitol in Washington, April 17, 2024. House Republicans plan to deliver a rebuke to President Joe Biden for putting a pause on a shipment of bombs to Israel that could be used in an assault on Rafah. They are voting Thursday on a bill that has practically no chance of being enacted but puts pressure on Democrats as it mandates delivery of the weapons. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, file)