An incident occurred in the Finnish city of Espoo that has caused outrage among the Ukrainian community. An 11-year-old student of Ukrainian origin was forced to sing the Russian song "Kalinka" during a music lesson, according to the Yle television and radio company.
The girl's mother, Irina Gorkun-Silen, said the incident happened at Storängen School. That day, the children were learning about Russian culture, and the teacher invited everyone to sing "Kalinka," a song that is famously performed by the Red Army Choir and symbolizes Russia's military past.
Nicole refused, explaining that she was Ukrainian and did not want to sing in Russian. In response, the teacher said that “they don’t talk about the war at school.” According to her mother, the girl realized that she would get a bad grade if she refused, so she was forced to sing, although it deeply offended her.
The school’s principal, Elinor Hellman, said the school “welcomes all children, regardless of background” and follows the state curriculum. She emphasized that art classes expose children to different cultures and that the assignments are pedagogically sound.
However, the Finnish National Board of Education acknowledged that in times of war, certain educational content can evoke strong emotions. The board's lawyer, Heidi Ruonala, stressed that in such cases, teachers should be flexible and provide the child with an alternative task.
Vasyl Hutsul, the head of the Ukrainian Society in Finland, said the case raises an important question: whether it is appropriate to promote Russian culture in schools today. He added that the problem is much deeper, as many public services for Ukrainian refugees in Finland are still provided in Russian.
The Finnish Ministry of Education has not yet commented on the incident, but the Ukrainian community is calling for a review of educational approaches to avoid situations that could traumatize children who have fled the war.
