Why are Russian teens dressing up as animals and walking on all fours?

Russian officials are slamming the West for a weird trend being seen among the teens in the country as well as other former Soviet Union nations. The youngsters are dressing up as furry animals, wearing masks and paws, and crawling on all fours.

Videos on social media show them pretending to be four-legged animals and growling and meowing as well. They are even acting like them upon coming in contact with a human, with one of them reported to have bitten a man.

In Uzbekistan, a teenager bit a passer-by while dressed as a dog. The Uzbek Interior Ministry said that a "child who witnessed the incident was very scared". The police are looking for the culprit.

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An Uzbeki spokesperson said, "This has been the case among young people in Kazakhstan, Russia, and Ukraine. Unfortunately, similar unacceptable actions have also been seen in the city of Tashkent."

A senior Russian politician claims that the trend is part of a "dehumanisation project" launched by the West. Police and politicians are cracking down on these teenagers, also known as quadrobers or kvadrobers.

Russian parliamentary chairman has alleged that Brussels and Washington are behind the craze.

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Vyacheslav Volodin wrote on Telegram, "Washington and Brussels are losing their dominance. In order to continue ruling the world, they are implementing the ‘Dehumanisation’ project."

He further claimed that such acts only appear like a game and a joke, but are part of a major plot.

"Offering to try themselves in the role of animals, fictional characters, mythical creatures. Such manifestations only at first look like a game and a joke. Behind this lies a serious programme of rejecting humanity and everything human," he stated.

Other politicians are calling for a ban on the trend in Russia. Speaking to state-run RIA Novosti news agency, Russian senator Natalia Kosikhina said she believes the trend will trigger "tragic consequences" and "traumatise the psyche" of Russian children.

Pop stars promoting trend

Meanwhile, the country's pop stars have been backing the movement. Mia Boyka, a pop star, asked a young fan in her crowd whether she was a "cat or — God forbid — a quadrober".

Russia singer Egor Kreed is all for the movement and says we "all impersonated cats and dogs when we were kids". According to The Moscow Times, he says that he is against "publicly condemning people for their hobbies and choices".

Taking strict action, the Uzbek authorities have threatened to impose a fine of under 1.9 million Uzbek soum (around $145) on the parents of kids caught enacting the trend.

A "special psychological examination" of the child might also be held to "determine how the quadrobics affects the mental and emotional health of the child".