In Russian schools, read the alphabet and love your army

The new version of the ABC in the Russian Far East begins with the words “A – Army, B – Brotherhood” – and with each phrase a sharp phrase is added. letterfor example, “Love your army.”

At swimming competitions in the southern city of Magnitogorsk, teenagers dived into the pool. wear camouflage uniformwhile other participants threw a model of a Kalashnikov assault rifle over their backs.

“Snipers” was a theme adopted in elementary school math classes in central Russia, with paper stars listing suspected bullet holes on a target painted on blackboard.

As the war in Ukraine continues for 16 months, educational programs across Russia are brimming with lessons and extra-curricular activities built around military themes and patriotism.

These efforts are part of a broad-based Kremlin campaign to militarize Russian society, inculcate future generations in reverence for the military, and further strengthen President Vladimir Putin’s position that “a real war has once again been unleashed on our homeland.” as he stated in a sober address at a ceremony last month.

The drumroll of indoctrination essentially began with Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, but a full-scale invasion of Ukraine has accelerated it. The Ministry of Education and Science is releasing a steady stream of materials, including step-by-step lesson plans and real-life examples, such as a video of a student concert in which poetry, dance and theater arts explain the history of Russian foreign intelligence.

“It includes all levels, from kindergarten to university,” said Daniil Ken, head of the Teachers’ Alliance, an independent Russian union that operates from self-imposed exile. “They’re trying to get all these kids, all the students, directly to support the war.”

For years, Russian leaders have sought to force their citizens to accept Moscow’s leadership, in part by banning school attendance for political subjects. The Kremlin now hopes to persuade the public to actively support the war effort and, when it comes to younger men, to fight.

However, he also wants to avoid fanning the patriotic flame too much, so as not to push the Russians into questioning the purpose of the war. Much as Mr. Putin refrains from accepting multiple drafts to prevent fueling anti-war sentiment, the Kremlin has given parents some leeway to avoid the lessons of propaganda.

In doing so, they may hope to avoid the disunity that arose during the Soviet era, when the education system portrayed the country as a country of communist abundance, although ordinary Russians could see that the shelves were empty.

“They need enthusiasm, but they understand that if they push too hard, it can provoke organized opposition,” says Alexandra Arkhipova, a social anthropologist who studies public reactions to war. “They don’t want people to protest.”

Interviews over the past month with sociologists, educators, parents and students, as well as a review of the extensive materials posted online by the schools themselves and local news outlets, show the government’s comprehensive efforts to strengthen military-patriotic content in all of Russia’s 40,000 public schools. .

The cornerstone of the initiative is a program called Important Conversations, launched in September last year. Every Monday at 8:00 a.m., schools should hold meetings where the Russian flag is hoisted to the playing of the national anthem, followed by an hour-long classroom session on topics such as important milestones in Russian history.

Education Minister Sergei Kravtsov did not respond to written questions. When the program was presented last fall, he said TASS official publication: “We want the current generation of schoolchildren to grow up in completely different traditions, to be proud of their homeland.” Both official Telegram channel And Web site distribute study materials.

“Important Conversations” was replenished with programs with names like “Lessons in Courage” or “Heroes Among Us.” Students were asked to write poems praising the Motherland and the exploits of Russian soldiers. Countless videos show elementary school children reading lines like: “All crooks are fleeing Russia; they have a place to live in the West; bandits, sodomites.

The lessons draw heavily on earlier conflicts, especially the success of the Soviet Union in defeating Nazi Germany. Suggestions based on that earlier time sometimes seem outdated, such as encouraging students to knit socks for the troops.

“It’s very theatrical,” said Miss. Arkhipova, social anthropologist. “It serves as a kind of proof that the whole war is right, because it reflects the Second World War.”

Countless schools have been renamed in honor of fallen soldiers, and memorials have been erected in abundance. These include a “hero table” in classrooms, which often displays a photo of the alumnus who is to be honored.

Veterans often come to classes to talk in detail about their experiences. At the end of April in Dmitrov, a small town near Moscow, three soldiers addressed an audience full of students aged between 10 and 15, some of whom were waving Russian flags. Video of the session shows one fighter talking about his desire to protect his homeland from “fascist abominations.”

In general, however, there is no monolithic propaganda machine, because the decision on how to conduct “Important Talks” is largely left to the administration of local schools.

Some teachers take a rigid ideological approach. A video released by the Doxa news agency shows a teacher requiring students to shake their fists in the air as they sing a popular song. song titled “I’m Russian”. The teacher barks: “Thrust should be in the sky, in NATO.”

Other teachers don’t even mention the war, especially in places like Moscow, where many parents frown on attempts to indoctrinate their children.

Yuri Lapshin, a former psychology student at an elite Moscow university, said in an interview that while studying the article, he found examples of unique interpretations of the program. One math teacher, for example, told his students that the most important conversation in the world was about algebra, so he dedicated a lesson to that. On a day supposedly dedicated to the concept of “homeland”, a biology teacher gave a lecture on the spawning of salmon in the rivers where they hatched.

Even when the lessons of war happen, they sometimes fail. At the assembly with two fighters, students from St. Petersburg. The Petersburg technical school basically mocked them. They wondered why fighting in another country meant they were protecting Russia, and how God might feel about killing others, according to the congregation’s record. According to local media reports, administrators chided at least five students for their questions.

Sasha Boychenko, 17, a high school student, attended four Important Conversations sessions in Vladivostok last fall before her family left Russia. Bored students laughed at the historical displays, she recalls. “After class, we wondered why we came,” she said in an interview.

Alexander Kondrashev, a 10-year history teacher in Russia, said he expects a revised version of the textbooks this fall. Early copy received media zone the news organization discovered one fundamental change; all references to Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, as a springboard for Russia as a Christian nation, have been removed.

“No one perceives Important Conversations as learning something that is useful in life, such as physics, mathematics, geography or knowledge in history classes,” he said. Kondrashev said in an interview.

Non-compliance takes various forms. The Teachers’ Alliance has told parents they can officially withdraw from classes, while some force their children to be late or have sick calls on Mondays. Defiance is making some parents nervous, experts say, especially given the dozen or so cases in which school authorities have reported unresponsive parents or students.

A 47-year-old woman named Zarema said she was worried about her three sons, who go to school in Dagestan. Although she sends her youngest son, a sixth grader, to Important Talk class, she tells him never to get involved in politics. “We are all afraid of everything here right now,” she said, asking not to use her full name when criticizing the war.

Russia largely presented the war as an economic opportunity in the poorer areas, while it was much less aggressive in the big cities.

“They are trying to target people who have fewer resources,” Greg Yudin, a Russian sociologist who conducts research at Princeton University, said in an interview. be a hero.” He noted that even if they persuade only 20 percent of young people into the army, it’s still a lot of brigades.

To this end, the ministries of education and defense have announced that military training will become compulsory for 10th grade students next year. Girls will learn how to provide first aid on the battlefield, while boys will learn how to build and handle a Kalashnikov assault rifle, among other skills.

The curricula of universities will include a mandatory course in the fall called “Fundamentals of Russian Statehood”.

The course is still in development, Mr. White. Yudin noted, but said that the details that popped up tended to echo Mr. Putin’s worldview of Russian exceptionalism and the idea that the battle against Western dominance over the past 1000 years will continue for another 1000 years.

“The single best way to mobilize society is to brainwash the youth,” he said. Yudin said.