Aljosha, the boy who greets the tanks: Russian propaganda has a new symbol

MOSCA – In a country in search of new symbols and heroes, an eight-year-old boy is the new mascot of the so-called Russian “special military operation” elected by state authorities and media. He lives in Veselaja Lopan, in the Belgorod region, on the border with Ukraine. Whether it’s raining or sunny, so says the proud mother Julija, Aleksej Pavlichenkofor all “Aljosha”, runs down the street to meet the columns of tanks that he gives