"Russia needs a new generation that knows how to fight. What threat does Russian patriotism pose to children in Crimea?

Residents of the territories of Ukraine occupied and annexed by Russia will suffer significantly from the education policy, say experts. The intensity of "patriotic education" is intended for entire generations of Crimeans and residents of the occupied southern and eastern regions of Ukraine.

 

Billions for "patriots"

 

In 2024, the Russian government plans to allocate 45.85 billion rubles for programs of patriotic education of citizens, reports the Russian publication RBC, referring to the draft state budget submitted to the State Duma of the Russian Federation. According to the bill, they want to distribute the funds between youth movements and public organizations. A significant part of them will be allocated to the "Movement of the First" - almost 17 billion rubles. 1.3 billion rubles will be donated to the All-Russian Competition among children and teenagers "Great Change", another 270 million rubles will go to the "Youth Army". Also, the "Eagles of Russia" elementary school program will receive 136.2 million rubles. All these projects contribute to familiarizing Russian and Crimean schoolchildren with pro-Kremlin ideology and militarization, say human rights activists.

It is important to note that the costs of patriotic education of citizens in Russia are increasing significantly, precisely during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In 2023, 39.7 billion rubles were allocated for these purposes. And in the budget for 2022, which was outlined as before the war, this program received only 4.9 billion rubles.

 

Patriotic upbringing of children and youth has become the main element of extracurricular activities in Russian educational institutions. They have the task of forming systematic knowledge in students about Russia's place in the world, its historical role and territorial integrity. Therefore, the subject of study and discussion will be the Russian annexation of Crimea and the armed conflict in Donbass and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

What is the modern educational process in Russia is described in detail in the study of the Ukrainian Institute of the Future. The author of the document is the head of the "Historical and Cultural Policy" program of this organization, Sergej Gromenko.

He analyzes the types and mechanisms of the implementation of propaganda and ideology in the Russian educational process during a decade and gives a forecast about how the new generation of Russians will leave school. The study states that a sharp politicization of the educational process began in Russia from 2013, and from 2022, Russian schools "began to turn into zombie factories." For this purpose, the Soviet practice of pioneers, political instructors, political information, uniform textbooks and the militarization of education was revived.  

 

"The main reason for the state's pressure on schools was the low effectiveness of state propaganda, mainly television, among young people and the growing popularity of alternative sources of information on the Internet. Since they could not force schoolchildren and students to watch television, the authorities tried to force them to study the government's official position in class. The question is: will the inheritance of the old "proven" Soviet methods of influencing the youth bring the results that the Kremlin expects?" - explains Sergej Gromenko.

In Russian schools in the past decade, processes have intensified that lead to the simplification of the picture of the world that students present in the humanitarian sphere, the silencing of alternative interpretations and facts that contradict the official version, which prevents teachers and students from independently choosing alternative interpretations, it is stated. in the study.

"These processes have passed their points of no return in the 2022/2023 school year. If before that schoolchildren were rather passive objects of state propaganda, now they are forced to become its active participants - without whom it is impossible to complete their education at school. Students can no

longer listen silently to what they disagree with, but are forced to convey it on their own behalf. That is, there is a transition from the state of "don't say what you want" (since 2014) to the state of "say what you don't want". In the new reality, schools will gradually become institutions for the education of not only children, but also their parents," says Sergej Gromenko.

 

The rapid politicization of the school, in his opinion, is necessary for the Russian authorities in order to prepare "the next cohort of the loyal population", who after finishing school will have the opportunity to vote and serve in the army.

"Within a few years, a wave of mass propaganda will engulf Russian children who are unable to resist it. From them the Kremlin will recruit soldiers for the next wars and voters to vote. For Putin, who plans to rule Russia at least until 2036, the prospect of getting a generation of patriots steadfast in the ideology of the "Russian world" in 2028 seems acceptable," the study states. It is unlikely that all this will significantly affect the course of the current Russian - of the Ukrainian war, says Sergej Gromenko.

But he recommends taking into account the danger of the Kremlin's "school innovations" for the future - "the presence of a neighboring state, the resentment of whose inhabitants has been ingrained since school."  

 

"It is important to convince Russia of the "sacred mission" of war"

 

The Center for Civic Education Almenda, which has been studying the situation in the educational and humanitarian sphere in the occupied territories of Ukraine for many years, sees in Russian "patriotic" events in the occupied territories of Ukraine signs of training ideologically smart "universal soldiers" and a reserve for mobilization for the Russian army.

"Russia needs a new generation that will be able to fight and firmly believe in Russian propaganda: "Nazis in Ukraine", "enemies from the USA and the West". So, we see that children in the occupied territories are immersed in an alternative reality. The ultimate goal of Russia is to destroy the completely Ukrainian identity of our children and to form them into true patriots of Russia. And in the concept of Russia, to be a true patriot means to be ready to die for Russia. Children are told about this highest manifestation of patriotism and heroism both in class and at extracurricular events," said Maria Suljalina, head of Almenda.

According to her, Russia has been building this system for years and testing it in the annexed Crimea, drawing more and more children into it, and in the context of the invasion of Ukraine, it is especially important for it to convince new generations of the "holy missions" of this war.

"It is important to understand that this is a general security issue for the region. Russia teaches Crimean children that they have a specific enemy - the Western world and the United States. And the longer this influence lasts, the more children will eventually believe it. Therefore, it is important, even under the occupation of Crimea, not to sit idly by. There are steps that can slow down this machine of identity destruction going on there now. First of all, it is necessary to show the contractors that there will be responsibility for this - both at the national level in Ukraine and at the international level," says Marija Suljalina.

 

The complete rescue of Crimean children from "Russian brainwashing", in her opinion, will be possible only after the de-occupation of Crimea. By this time, Maria Sulyalina recommends the Ukrainian authorities to prepare comprehensive steps for the reintegration of Crimea in the educational and humanitarian sphere, taking into account the influence of the propaganda that Russia has directed at the residents of Crimea for nine years.