Russian students are going back to school, where they encounter fresh subjects aimed at enhancing their sense of patriotism.

Children in Russia returned to school on Friday, dressed in white shirts and holding bouquets. The school curriculum now places even greater emphasis on the Kremlin’s perspectives on the war in Ukraine and its relationship with the West.

Each week, students are required to listen to the national anthem of Russia and observe the raising of the country’s tricolor flag. Additionally, there is a weekly topic known as “Conversations about Important Things,” which was implemented last year with the aim of enhancing patriotism.

A recently published history textbook for high school includes a section about the incorporation of the Crimean Peninsula and the “special military operation” – a term used by the Kremlin to refer to the war. Additionally, the textbook covers fundamental military instruction as part of a self-defense and first aid course.

President Vladimir Putin took part in the “Conversations About Important Things” program by personally meeting with 30 school students from various regions. During the meeting, he referred to Russians as an “invincible nation.” The Kremlin referred to this event as an “open lesson.” I cannot reword.

“I cannot reword”

The Kremlin started paying attention to the concerns of young individuals a few years ago, after teenagers and students participated in unauthorized protests led by Alexei Navalny, who is currently imprisoned.

Petrov observed that the Kremlin suddenly started showing significant interest in children and young people.

Putin began regularly meeting with young individuals, while the authorities commenced investing in promoting their political agenda. The motive behind these actions seemed to stem from the recognition that an entire generation, who have witnessed Putin’s presidency since childhood, “may possess different perspectives than what the Kremlin desires,” as stated by the analyst.

In recent years, there have been numerous instances reported in the media where teachers have been seen reprimanding, raising their voices, or involving law enforcement when students express their support for opposition or anti-government perspectives.

After Moscow deployed troops to Ukraine, the crackdown became more severe. Teachers who declined to conduct the “Conversations About Important Things” sessions were either dismissed or compelled to resign. Parents encountered pressure from school administrators and authorities when their children chose to skip these lessons.

Earlier this year, a single father in the town of Yefremov, located south of Moscow, was found guilty by the authorities and subsequently incarcerated. The reason behind his conviction was his daughter’s creation of a sketch opposing war during her time at school.

The Education Ministry has introduced a history textbook for 11th graders, which includes a section on Russia from 2014 until now. It provides reasoning for the incorporation of Crimea and the intervention in Ukraine, while portraying the West as antagonistic towards Moscow. A selection of questions regarding the conflicts was included in a preview of the upcoming history exam released by the authorities.

The self-defense and first aid practical course has been expanded to incorporate introductory military instruction. Students will now learn about different weapons, attend lectures on information warfare, and be educated about the risks associated with extremist organizations.

Certain parents express their unease with these compulsory lessons.

Sergei, a resident of Moscow, expressed his distress over the fact that his two daughters, who recently began high school, are now required to take ideological lessons. Sergei and other parents shared their concerns about safety with The Associated Press, requesting anonymity by not revealing their last names.

He expressed the need to clarify and request the girls to exercise caution in their school conversations to avoid causing harm to themselves.

Sergei mentioned that his daughters, who enjoy ballroom dancing, have unexpectedly started inquiring about the distance that missiles and drones can travel.

“The thought process of students in schools is being influenced towards a militaristic mindset, with alterations being made to history textbooks and the enforcement of compulsory ideology,” he expressed. “Russian educational institutions are regressing to the negative practices of the Soviet era, where two different versions of history and truths coexisted.”

He added that parents now have limited chances to safeguard children from being influenced or manipulated.

Some residents of Moscow mentioned to AP that they considered themselves fortunate because their children were attending schools where teachers were not strictly adhering to the directives and were making an effort to avoid getting involved in politics.

“I cannot reword”

“He mentioned that we had a teacher who created her own material for the class and discussed various subjects such as theater, the history of Moscow, and other non-political topics, avoiding any specific ideology,” he stated.

Anna, whose child goes to a middle school in Moscow, expressed her gratitude towards the school and its administrators for not adopting an aggressive approach or engaging in propaganda. She mentioned that the school conducts a weekly anthem ceremony and had a lesson about Crimea last year, but beyond that, there is not much else happening, which alleviates her concerns.

Vladimir holds the belief that highly educated and analytical teachers have the ability to bypass the set requirements. According to him, if these teachers are clever and adaptable, they will likely comply with the instructions on the surface, but secretly undermine them in practice.