Russian teacher who told infant to kiss ground to be fired

MOSCOW – A Russian kindergarten teacher who forced a boy to his knees and ordered him to kiss the ground is to be fired, according to Russian news reports.

Video appeared on social media and news sites this week showing the teacher at the kindergarten in the southern city of Krasnodar harshly speaking to the boy, forcing him to his knees and then telling him to kiss the earth “that feeds you” as other children look on.

Some Russian news reports said the 5-year-old boy was originally from Dagestan, a predominantly Muslim Russian republic whose people have encountered animosity in Russia.

According to Russian news agencies on Thursday, Krasnodar’s education department director Alexei Nekrasov said the teacher will be fired “on the next working day.” The incident reportedly occurred on Tuesday. The following three days have been holidays so the teacher is presumably to be fired on Monday when schools reopen.

Anna Kuznetsova, the Kremlin’s children’s right ombudswoman, said police are investigating,