In Russia, there are plans to show schoolchildren patriotic short films about the war against Ukraine
In Russia, starting in 2026, schoolchildren will be required to watch a series of 83 “patriotic” short films, some of which will be dedicated to participants in the war against Ukraine.
The Center for Political and Public Opinion Research noted that the Russian authorities are systematically intensifying war propaganda among children, using the school system to exert ideological influence and militarize young people.
“The Russian authorities are systematically ramping up war propaganda among children, turning school education into a tool for total ideological indoctrination and the militarization of the younger generation. Starting in 2026, Russian schoolchildren are scheduled to be required to watch a series of 83 ‘patriotic’ short films, including ones about participants in the war against Ukraine,” the statement reads.
According to Russian Education Minister Sergei Kravtsov, the screenings are planned for students starting in sixth grade.
The short films will be shown during propaganda sessions titled “Conversations About What Matters,” as well as as part of the course “Spiritual and Moral Culture of Russia.”
Kravtsov stated that such films are intended to foster “traditional values” in children and, in his words, demonstrate to them “role models.”
The Center for Countering Disinformation emphasized that forcing children to watch films promoting war is part of the Kremlin’s long-term strategy.
“The Putin regime seeks to instill in teenagers a distorted perception of reality, where aggressive war is the norm and participation in it is the right path in life,” the Center stated.
As a reminder, Russia had previously announced the creation of a separate textbook on the history of Ukraine, which it plans to use to “re-educate” Ukrainian children.
This was reported by the Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine on Telegram.
Earlier, Russia announced the development of a school textbook on the history of Ukraine, which, according to the authors’ plan, is to contain the Russian version of historical events and describe the so-called “shared history” of Ukraine and Russia.
As a reminder, Russian schools plan to distribute new textbooks dedicated to the history of Ukraine’s Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions. In these publications, the history of the temporarily occupied territories is to be presented in accordance with the Russian historical narrative.
In the new edition of the unified Russian history textbook for 7th grade, the description of the Moscow State’s relations with Lithuania and Poland in the 16th century has been altered. Now, students are taught that the rulers of those states allegedly “hated Russians more than they hated Crimeans.”
