Una ragazza ucraina, 11 anni, in Finlandia ha detto alla sua insegnante che non voleva cantare una canzone in russo. L’insegnante ha risposto: “Non discutiamo della guerra a scuola”

At one of the schools in Espoo (near Helsinki), students were asked to sing the Russian song *“Kalinka”* during a music class. The incident sparked outrage within the Ukrainian community after an 11-year-old student from a Ukrainian family refused to perform the song in Russian.

The girl’s mother, musician Iryna Horkun-Silen, said that her daughter Nicole told the teacher she was Ukrainian and did not want to sing in Russian. The teacher replied that *“we don’t discuss the war at school.”*

“Nicole understood that if she didn’t sing, she would get a bad grade, so she felt forced to sing. But it really upset her,” the mother said.

Iryna added that *“Kalinka”* is a song known for being performed by the Red Army Choir, which is a symbol of Russia’s military and imperial past. She believes that such assignments in schools amount to *“normalizing the culture of the aggressor country.”*

The principal of Storängen School in Espoo, Eleanor Hellman, stated that the school *“welcomes all children regardless of their background”* and follows the national curriculum. According to her, *“in subjects like music, students can learn about different cultures, and assignments are chosen based on pedagogical reasoning.”*

The Finnish National Agency for Education stated that, due to the war in Ukraine, certain cultural topics can trigger strong emotions.

“If a student feels uncomfortable performing a certain song or task for personal reasons, the teacher has the right to make an exception,  for example, by choosing another song or giving the student a different role in the performance,” said lawyer Heidi Ruonala.

The head of the Ukrainian Society in Finland, Vasyl Hutsul, said the incident deeply infuriated the Ukrainian community.

[https://suspilne.media/1157384-u-finskij-skoli-ukrainsku-divcinku-zmusili-spivati-kalinku/](https://suspilne.media/1157384-u-finskij-skoli-ukrainsku-divcinku-zmusili-spivati-kalinku/)

This is crazy, I underestimated if Finland even taught russian media.