A Virginia substitute teacher has been suspended for allegedly saying that he approved of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine.  

The teacher, identified as 65-year-old John Stanton, allegedly made these comments at a Swanson Middle School Spanish class on Friday. He told the students to read Russian propaganda outlets in order to get a different viewpoint on the invasion.

“The statement I think that got me was I said, ‘I personally support the logic of Putin,’ and what I meant by that is, he made a rational decision from his perception,” Stanton said in an interview with the Washington Post. 

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In an email to the school board, parents said the teacher’s comments, expressing support for Russia and asking if anyone “hated Russia,” amounted to “advocacy of political positions, and Russian propaganda.”

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Officials notified Stanton that he was suspended because of “an allegation of comments made to students during instructional hours regarding sensitive world events with Russia and Ukraine.”

The letter said he had five days to request a “Petition for Reinstatement.”

However, in a response to the letter, Stanton wrote, “It is pointless to petition.”

“We live in a time of war propaganda from both sides which brings with it censorship of opinions deviating from the core message. It is at a fever pitch now. As an expert in information warfare and the author of many pieces on the subject I speak with some authority,” he wrote in the letter.