Students at School No. 61 in Vladivostok are now required to wear patches depicting a drone on their school uniforms, according to the Russian Telegram news channel “Ostorozhno Novosti” and the news outlet “7×7”.
Parents said they were asked to buy the patches at specialty stores, though it’s not clear which ones.
Last year’s patches featured a feather set against a Russian flag shaped like a book, while this year’s show a drone alongside the school’s number.
“Parents reacted more or less normally. Many of the kids at the assembly were wearing these patches. In the parent chat, people simply noted the design was “strange” and that last year’s were “nicer,”” parents said.
Not all parents bought the patches. Photos from the August 31 assembly — moved up a day in Vladivostok because of the Eastern Economic Forum — show some children wearing the new patches, others wearing last year’s, and some with no patch at all.
“In theory, you can’t opt out of them, since they’re part of the uniform. But we don’t know yet whether anything will be said about not having a patch,” one parent added.
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