Russian propaganda in the education system is a purposeful state policy that uses educational institutions, from kindergartens to universities, for the ideological processing of the younger generation and the formation of loyalty to the current political regime. After the beginning of Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, this process became comprehensive and systemic.
In political systems with authoritarian traits, the education system is often used as a tool for propaganda and strengthening the regime. In modern Russia under president Vladimir Putin, educational policy has placed a strong emphasis on state patriotism and the formation of loyalty to the authorities.
Kindergartens Since the beginning of 2022, pro-war actions using the symbols of military actions (in particular, the letter Z) have been introduced in state kindergartens of the Russian Federation. The initiation took place through flash mobs, which involved the formation of children in the form of the specified symbol. Subsequently, the activities became systematic: the educational process included meetings with military personnel, making gifts for combatants, learning thematic songs and watching ideologically oriented animated content. Usually, the management of kindergartens does not ask parents for consent to such activities. There are cases where parents have been brought to administrative responsibility for disagreeing with such practices.
Schools In 2003, Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke about the need to create history textbooks that would contain "facts that foster a sense of pride in young people for their country." In May 2009, the Presidential Commission to Counter Attempts to Falsify History to the Detriment of Russia's Interests was established. In 2012, Putin, noting the large number and different level of quality of teaching aids, advocated standardization in this area, emphasizing the importance of forming common approaches to the study of history and other humanitarian disciplines.
In 2015, the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation announced the introduction of a unified line of history textbooks, developed on the basis of the previously adopted historical and cultural standard. At the same time, a number of teachers and historians criticized these textbooks, calling them propaganda. In particular, in textbooks for grades 10-11, the events in Ukraine in 2014 were described as the coming to power of nationalists, the Yukos case was called "the result of the struggle for the timely and full receipt of taxes," and the relationship between the government and the church was called "the desire to revive the greatness of Russia". In addition, as a result of the reform, almost the entire textbook market was taken under control by structures close to Putin's friend Arkady Rotenberg.
Educational institutions and educational literature are one of the channels for disseminating the official state position. Examples include the use of educational materials with poems dedicated to the president, the placement of his portraits in schools, and the holding of thematic essay and drawing competitions in educational institutions during election campaigns. During the 2012 presidential election, parents of students at a number of regional schools were illegally questioned as to whether they believed that "subversive espionage by Americans could undermine the integrity of the country". According to schoolchildren, teachers can openly impose their point of view.
As Helga Pirogova, a former Novosibirsk deputy and member of the "Alliance of Teachers," points out in an interview with the LRT project, the turning point in the strengthening of state propaganda and the militarization of the educational process was 2014, after the annexation of Crimea, when the authorities began to systematically strengthen ideological control over schools.
Russian schools hold political and patriotic assemblies, and schoolchildren are forced to participate in propaganda events and flash mobs. Following the mass detentions of high school students during the March 2017 protests, a large number of videos appeared online showing intimidation or pressure being exerted on young people. For example, in one recording, a teacher at a school in Tomsk openly called his students fascists and "slaves of the Anglo-Saxons" for criticizing the government. To establish direct contact with young people, the authorities held several media events: a direct line for high school students and an "open lesson" with the president.
After the beginning of Russian invasion of Ukraine, activities aimed at the patriotic education of youth and explaining the official state position were intensified in educational institutions of the Russian Federation. In particular, methodological recommendations for conducting classes dedicated to the country's foreign policy course were sent to schools and universities. Social studies teachers in grades 7-11 were instructed to conduct thematic lessons, within which students were to be familiarized with the content of speeches by Russian President Vladimir Putin concerning the reasons and goals of the "special military operation." During these classes, students were informed that the armed forces of the Russian Federation are aimed at completing military tasks while minimizing casualties among the civilian population. These recommendations also included advice to condemn calls for participation in unauthorized public actions.
In March 2022, a nationwide open lesson titled "Defenders of Peace" was conducted in all schools across the country. Its content was dedicated to the "liberation mission" in Ukraine. During the lesson, it was asserted that the cause of the military action was the "five waves of NATO expansion," and the goal of the invasion was stated as defending Russia from a hypothetical attack that could occur in several years.
Homeroom teachers conducted thematic lessons based on the provided methodological guidelines. There were reports of cases where teachers were dismissed for refusing to participate in such events. Administrations of some schools recommended that teachers use symbols, including St. George's ribbons stylized as the letter Z. In March 2022, a meeting was organized for homeroom teachers of schools in the capital with RT editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan and Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova, during which issues of countering disinformation (fakes) under wartime conditions were discussed.
In March–April 2022, educational institutions were instructed to conduct special social studies lessons explaining the causes and essence of the "anti-Russian sanctions." The recommended materials presented the sanctions imposed by Western countries as a response to Russia's invasion, which was purportedly caused by the "necessity to protect the population of Donbas".
Since 2022, schoolchildren have been encouraged to participate in workshops on making "trench candles" — autonomous sources of light and heat. This activity has been covered in state media as a socially beneficial endeavor.
Starting September 1, 2022, a weekly series of extracurricular classes called "Conversations about Important Things" was included in the mandatory program of all general education institutions in the Russian Federation. According to official documents, the goal of these sessions is to form value orientations in students, including love for the Motherland, pride in their country, and patriotism. Although these classes are formally not part of the core curriculum, in a number of cases, refusal to attend "Conversations about Important Things" was considered by school administrations as a disciplinary violation, which could lead to disciplinary measures against students.
Additionally, the practice of holding solemn Monday assemblies with the raising of the Russian national flag was revived. The initial version of the methodological materials developed by the Russian Ministry of Education included a section dedicated to the "special military operation" in Ukraine, presenting it in the context of protecting civilians and historical unity. Later, due to dissatisfaction from students' parents, the topics of the lessons were adjusted, and references to Ukraine were removed from the publicly available methodological guidelines.
Since September 2022, a solemn ceremony of raising the state flag and performing the national anthem has been held weekly in all state schools in Russia. The initiative, proposed by Putin in 2021, is being implemented within the approved standard and funded from the state budget.
During this same period, against the backdrop of the mobilization announcement, work in schools to support participants of the Russian invasion of Ukraine has intensified. This activity includes campaigns to write letters and collect humanitarian parcels for military personnel. Educational institutions have also begun inviting individuals who took part in combat operations, including representatives of volunteer formations such as the Wagner PMC, to meet with students. In memory of fallen graduates, memorial "Hero's Desks" are being installed in some schools.
Patriotic flash mobs were organized across the country, during which students formed the shapes of the letters Z and V.
As part of strengthening the patriotic education of youth in Russia, alongside the already existing "Yunarmiya" movement, a new nationwide movement for children and youth called the "Movement of the First" was established in 2022. Furthermore, starting from the new academic year, a course in basic military training, which had been removed from the compulsory curriculum after 1991, is being reintroduced into the school program. According to the Minister of Education of the Russian Federation, Sergei Kravtsov, this course can be taught, among others, by war participants.
In December 2022, changes to the federal state educational standards were approved. "Basic military training" was integrated into the Life Safety Fundamentals (OBZh) course for high school students. Simultaneously, a thematic block dedicated to events related to the war in Ukraine was included in the school history curriculum. In some history teaching materials, mentions of Kievan Rus began to be removed. A patriotically-oriented text was included in the trial materials for the Unified State Exam (EGE) in the Russian language. It's an artistic description of a combat episode in Mariupol, during which a Russian military unit under the command of a fighter with the call sign "Mangush" conducts a clearance operation. The plot describes the detonation of armored vehicles on a mine, enemy resistance, and the subsequent successful evacuation of personnel.
As part of the OBZh subject, which is transforming into "Basics of Security and Homeland Defense," children are taught to dig trenches, work with drones, and weave camouflage nets. Combat veterans are actively invited to schools, whose stories, according to Helga Pirogova, romanticize violence. State policy, it is claimed, aims to cultivate "obedient citizens" with "square heads" who don't ask questions. Resistance to this trend from teachers is hindered by an atmosphere of denunciations, and the mass departure of educators (193,000 in 2023) exacerbates the staffing crisis and contributes to the further degradation of the educational environment. All of this, according to Pirogova's assessment, leads to the psychological traumatization of generations and has profound destructive consequences for the future of Russian society.