As reports of gun fights and bloody confrontations between pro-Russia separatists and Ukrainians continue to roll in, the dispatches coming out of eastern Ukraine are starting to bear increasing resemblance to the world’s more embattled zones. Among the most jarring photographs of the ongoing conflict are those that show Ukrainian children being taught how to hold firearms and posing with the occupying forces. The images echo similar ones from Afghanistan and Gaza, and hint at the extent to which the de-facto Russian occupation is impacting daily life. Many of these children are too young even to remember the 2004-2005 Orange Revolution, which prevented Viktor Yanukovych from unlawfully seizing power the first time around. Now, the crisis following Yanukovych’s ouster is likely to be their first impression of how democracy is supposed to work. Here are a few snapshots:
Scott Olson/Getty Images
Scott Olson/Getty Images
GENYA SAVILOV/AFP/Getty Images 
KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP/Getty Images
KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP/Getty Images