Russia Launches Widespread Patriotism Screening for Students and Teachers

Monitoring Patriotic Attitudes Among Youth

According to Главком: Russia’s Ministry of Education has developed questionnaires targeting schoolchildren, pedagogical university students, and young teachers, designed to assess their patriotic outlook. The surveys include questions about traditional Russian values, patriotism, and the state-sponsored program 'Important Conversations.' Respondents are asked whether teachers should serve as conduits for state values, whether they consider themselves patriots of Russia, and whether they take part in patriotic activities.

Separately, students are asked to evaluate Soviet-era figures such as Vladimir Lenin, Joseph Stalin, and Leonid Brezhnev. Pupils, students, and educators are also questioned about their use of social media and their ability to verify information from foreign agents. According to media reports, in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, Russian authorities have begun the process of Russifying children starting at the kindergarten level. In the occupied Luhansk region, plans are underway to create a youth Stakhanovite movement, which would force students to undergo internships at industrial enterprises and participate in sham competitions.

Shaping Youth and Controlling Information

The occupiers are attempting to revive Soviet-era practices of involving young people in industrial labor. In the temporarily occupied part of the Kherson region, at a children’s creativity center, children were forced to draw portraits of a Russian military serviceman. During the lesson, a Russian occupier was present and spoke to the children about the war against their own country. Additionally, in Ukraine’s temporarily occupied territories, Russian occupiers have started checking students’ phones for banned services such as YouTube, Spotify, and VPNs.

According to the National Resistance Center, under the pretext of safety concerns and alleged parental mistakes, children are being forced to show the contents of their devices. These actions raise serious concerns about the future of the younger generation in the occupied territories and the influence Russian authorities are exerting on their minds.

This initiative by Russia’s Ministry of Education, along with actions in Ukraine’s temporarily occupied territories, highlights efforts to strengthen state influence over the youth.

Through questionnaires and information control, young people are being drawn into the formation of patriotic attitudes, which could have long-term consequences for their development and identity. The use of Soviet-era methods in upbringing reflects a desire to revive old traditions in a new context, sparking serious worries about the freedom and growth of the younger generation in these regions.

As the Russian authorities intensify efforts to instill patriotic values among youth, similar tactics are evident in occupied Ukraine, where graduation ceremonies are reportedly being exploited to recruit teenagers into military operations. This alarming trend highlights the broader implications of state-sponsored indoctrination. To understand how these recruitment strategies are unfolding and their impact on young minds, read more about the situation in our detailed article on the use of graduation events for military recruitment.