Another scandal erupted on the Internet with a video that was filmed by teenagers.
On February 1, a video appeared on the network, filmed, as it turned out, in St. Petersburg school No. 173.
On it, three guys approach a teenager with prosthetic legs sitting in the school corridor, who plays on the phone.
One of the high school students attacks the guy with questions: is it possible to borrow his legs, how he lost his limbs and whether he is a veteran.
To the last teenager calmly replies: "Yes, Vietnam."
The video caused a flurry of indignation among Internet users.
Some of them suggested that the boy was from Donbass and lost his legs during one of the attacks.
After the video was published, the prosecutor's office, the Investigative Committee and the Office of the Ombudsman for Children began an investigation.
In addition, threats began to come to schoolchildren - the authors of the video and school teachers.
It turned out that the posted video was cut off, and in its full version, high school students bully other students as well.
The director of the educational institution, Elena Povarova, told Fontanka.Ru that the students were filming a staged video, possibly for a blog, and, in her words, there was no talk of any bullying and enmity.
A teenager with prostheses - 13-year-old Maxim.
He was born in the village of Solnechnoye, Amur Region, in a dysfunctional family.
He lost his legs at a year and a half after the fire: his mother left the house, leaving the heater turned on too close to the baby's bed.
Doctors said that the boy miraculously survived: burns accounted for 38% of the body.
Maxim's biological mother was deprived of parental rights and sentenced to three years, and the boy was soon adopted by a family from St. Petersburg and moved to her.
© Photo from personal archive
The guy grows up with foster parents and an older half-sister, he became interested in skateboarding and swimming, which he writes about on his social networks.
Thanks to publications about training and competitions, Maxim was once noticed by the famous skateboarder Tony Hawk, who called the teenager "his favorite skater."
In 2016, the boy met with motivational speaker Nick Vuychich, who was born without arms and legs, and in 2018, Patriarch Kirill handed the teenager a hand-cast cross.
RT spoke with the boy's adoptive mother, Inna Lallav.
What did your son tell you about what happened?
- In general, I learned about what happened from the director of the school: she called me and told me about this incident.
And the journalist dropped the video.
After that, we met with the director, investigators and the parents of those guys.
Maxim himself did not complain to me.
He only said: “Mom, it was unpleasant when they approached and started talking, but I don’t hold a grudge against them!”
As I understand it, Max was at recess, he needed to rest, sit, because the prostheses hurt.
The guys who approached him were older than him.
They all know each other because they go to the same school, but they are not friends.
Max is in the seventh grade, two guys from the tenth, and one from the eighth.
Yes, the boys overstepped the bounds, they overdid it.
Was there any reaction from the guys? Did they apologize?
“No one has contacted us yet.
Fortunately, this is not discussed in school chats.
I understand that now they want to make a video with an apology for Max, but there is a problem - the boys are now being threatened.
I see how many people stood up for Max, but I would like people to show mercy and kindness.
To destroy them, start criminal cases, be rude to them - please don't.
It is necessary that they themselves click in their hearts: how sorry I am, how wrong I was!
I just would like the guys to know his story - what hell Max went through in a year and a half.
Burning alive and then losing your legs is scary.
And he did so much during his life to perk up!
© Photo from personal archive
How is your son doing at school in general?
- Max went to class today, as usual, he has no problems with his studies, he loves school.
And he hadn't been bullied before.
Favorite subjects are history and literature.
He is a skateboarder, he swims, he plays chess, he is English, he loves board games.
He also wants to go to the Paralympics and believes that he will succeed.
He trains regularly, we went skating in Moscow last weekend, he has training tomorrow.
- You mentioned that Maxim has uncomfortable prostheses. What exactly is the problem?
- As it turned out, children and adults are being prosthetized in Moscow at the expense of the Moscow budget, and in St. Petersburg - at the expense of the federal one.
We turned to prosthetists in Moscow, they told us: we will do everything, but you need to register in the city.
And at the same time, in order to go to school, you need a residence permit in St. Petersburg.
To say that this is a disgrace is to say nothing.
We are in a vicious circle.
When we apply for prostheses, they approve it, call us for prosthetics, and the company says that they were allocated only 560 thousand rubles, and the necessary prostheses cost from 2 million to 4 million. only covers for stumps.
© Photo from personal archive
We go to the Social Insurance Fund, they tell us to apply again, again the company tells us that they have only 500 thousand. This is how we have been going for 11 years.
During these 11 years, the state once reimbursed us 100 thousand rubles and made only one pair of prostheses four years ago.
He now walks on these prostheses.
They are already patched and patched - there only silicone cases need to be changed every two months, and this is 160 thousand rubles for a pair.
Not to mention the fact that Max's stumps are growing and he needs new prostheses - large, modified ones.
He then straightens his shoulders.
And when the prostheses are tight, tinder, they don’t fit in height, of course, he immediately stoops, droops, and the guys at school also laugh.
Max is now closely following the news about the military, who have lost their legs and now wear prostheses - such people motivate him very much, and he tries to emulate them.
I can't let him, so tough and strong-willed, now droop and give up.
RT sent a request to the Social Fund of Russia with a request to assist in obtaining new prostheses.