Hello!

I'm Oleg Ogradov, a correspondent for the online magazine '7x7'.

By the third year of the war, Russian schools have changed beyond recognition. Even before the war, with rare exceptions, schooling in Russia was an unpleasant experience that left children with phobias and complexes rather than high-quality, relevant knowledge and self-confidence.

The company Domestos even held a photo contest to identify the worst school toilet in Russia. In 2022, the documentary film ‘Manifesto’ was released, composed entirely of videos that schoolchildren posted online. Violent teachers abusing students physically and verbally, shootings, and other horrors were already part of school life. Could it get any worse?

Estimated reading time: 7 minutes

Russian Schools During Wartime in Numbers

• 376 schools switched to distance learning because of the war.
• 47 cases of schools being shelled in border regions.
• 95 schools across Russia named after 'special military operation veterans.'
• 91 teachers drafted into the army.
• 19 'SMO veterans' became teachers.

Propaganda

By the third year of the full-scale war, propaganda lessons explaining the state's official line to students have become commonplace. These lessons are complemented by meetings with 'SMO veterans' who speak to children about the war in a positive light.

For instance, in early May, a school in Chuvashia invited veterans to a 'courage lesson' – a propaganda class occasionally featuring war participants. One of these veterans had previously been fined for physically assaulting his wife and mother-in-law. During a similar lesson in Buryatia, members of the Wagner PMC gifted children a flag of their organization with the inscription 'Nothing personal, we got paid for it.' Some of the participants kept their masks and balaclavas on throughout the meeting. They took photos with the children, posing with flags and making the Shaka sign associated with brutal murders in Syria.

In mid-April, a similar class was organized in Kostomuksha, the Republic of Karelia. Local children tried on body armor with patches reading 'Cargo 200 we are together' and 'My coffin still rustles in the woods.'

Conflicts Among Students

The war has aggravated many internal conflicts in Russia, particularly ethnic ones. In September 2022, the principal of a school in Tyumen expelled a girl for wearing a hijab to class. After public outcry, the girl was allowed to attend school in traditional clothing. Schoolgirls from Kabardino-Balkaria, a Muslim region in the North Caucasus, faced a similar problem, which was resolved after their case gained publicity.

In February 2023, in Tatarstan, a region predominantly inhabited by Tatars, children were forced to raise their right arms in the air to the rhythm of the song ‘I Am Russian’ as part of the celebration of Defender of the Fatherland Day. The teacher asked those who, in her opinion, did not demonstrate enough enthusiasm, "Are you not Russian?" When hearing "No," she claimed that she had been misunderstood and added that being Russian is about the spirit, not nationality.

Apart from ethnic conflicts, there are also clashes between war supporters and opponents. The mother of an 11-year-old boy from Lipetsk complained about the bullying of her son, who wished to become a soldier. Allegedly, other children called the boy an ‘invader of Ukraine,’ beat him, and took his personal belongings.

Strip Searches Before Exams

In late May and early June, Russian schoolchildren take the Unified State Exam (EGE) in various subjects, which is required for university admission. An entire industry has emerged around the EGE, with private tutors assisting students in exam preparation and publishing houses producing tons of instructional literature and practice tests. Before entering the exam room, students must undergo security checks stricter than those in some European airports.

This year, students from Chuvashia and Voronezh reported being forced to strip down to their underwear to prove they weren't hiding cheat sheets under their clothes. In Chuvashia, children were restricted to 30-second bathroom breaks to prevent cheating. Following reports of Voronezh students being subjected to strip searches, local authorities suggested implementing a ban on criticizing the EGE during the exam period.

Parents of students affected by these ‘thorough security checks’ have already contacted law enforcement. Officials state that an investigation is underway.

Police Complicity

Law enforcement officers employ various methods to detain girls and return them to their families, including fabricating legal cases. Quite often, relatives themselves file complaints, accusing the escapees of stealing jewelry, which serves as a pretext to declare the girls wanted. The case is not investigated at the location of the alleged theft but in their native republics. Once the girls are transferred there and handed over to the relatives, the latter withdraw the complaint, and the case is closed. Such a complaint was filed against Leyla Gireyeva from Ingushetia, who fled to St. Petersburg but was eventually returned to the republic. Selima Ismailova from Chechnya was detained at the airport for allegedly stealing 85,000 rubles and taken back to the region as well. Seda Suleymanova was registered as a witness in a case involving stolen jewelry.

Relatives also often forge certificates of incapacity. Leyla Gireyeva was declared incapacitated, and her father became her legal guardian. Marina Yandiyeva from Ingushetia received the same label based on the documents that, in her opinion, were fabricated. Due to this alleged evidence of mental illness, she was unable to seek help from the police.

"This is absolutely illegal; certificates of incapacity cannot be issued so easily. But if the police accept them without any additional proof, we immediately understand whose side they are on," explains Anokhina.

Women from Chechnya may also be monitored through the 'Magistral' system, which identifies any attempt to buy a transport ticket using their documents. In 2019, Aminat Lorsanova escaped from home and tried to fly to Moscow from Mineralnye Vody, but she was refused boarding. Previously, Aminat filed a complaint with the police against the exorcist of genies whom her relatives took her to. The exorcist did not face any charges, and the girl was added to the tracking system. This way, law enforcement learned about her purchase of a plane ticket and came to take her back to Chechnya alongside Aminat’s father.

New Teaching Staff

Since the start of the war in Ukraine, Russian schools have become platforms for promoting state ideology and have initiated efforts to remove undesirable teachers. Nikita Tushkanov, a teacher from Komi, has been under pre-trial detention since autumn 2022, facing charges of justifying terrorism and discrediting the army due to his social media comment regarding the Crimea Bridge explosion. Vasily Razumov, a literature teacher at an Orthodox gymnasium in Yaroslavl, was fired for his teaching methods and anti-war stance. Alongside students, Razumov created comic books and caricatures based on literary works, as well as organized mock trials of characters from Russian classics. He also wore colorful suits to classes. Vasily lost his job due to an antiwar post that parents screenshotted and later presented to the principal. Following his dismissal, he was detained by the police and eventually fined 30,000 rubles for discrediting the army.

Over the past years, 91 teachers have been deployed to the front lines. School administrations sometimes opt to hire 'SMO veterans' as replacements for dismissed or mobilized teachers. According to our calculations, there are at least 19 such cases in Russia. Former war participants often make headlines not for their bravery but for the crimes they commit upon returning from the war zone. For instance, in May, law enforcement officers in Voronezh detained a 24-year-old teacher of life safety and basic military training, charged with defiling a 15-year-old boy.

Time Bomb

In all honesty, I find the militarization of Russian schools and kindergartens deeply alarming. From early childhood, children are indoctrinated with the idea that sacrificing oneself for the Homeland is not only normal but also honorable. Schools hold meetings with criminals who were pardoned due to their involvement in the war, while children's rights are violated in the most appalling ways: forced strip searches before exams, physical abuse, and even threats of murder.

Even if the war concludes in the coming years, the state has already set a ticking time bomb. Individuals fueled by hatred are easily swayed toward revanchist sentiments. When will this bomb detonate? In five years? Or perhaps in ten?

© Copyright, online journal "7х7"