‘Genocide’ with seventh graders Moscow schoolteachers describe how they navigate the Russian state’s new ‘patriotic’ curriculum — Meduza
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It’s a new school year in Russia, which means teachers and students nationwide are returning to the classroom as the country’s brutal invasion of Ukraine drags on. Many educators strongly oppose the war but have remained in Russia for various reasons. These teachers must navigate state-guided Monday lessons on patriotism and the Kremlin’s version of history, adapting to a changing mandatory curriculum and supporting students and colleagues as best they can. Independent journalists at the Bereg cooperative spoke to four teachers in Moscow about how their work has transformed over the past year and a half and what they think lies ahead for Russia’s school system in the near future. With Bereg’s permission, Meduza presents an English-language summary of those interviews.

“Students who go so far as to picket or distribute anti-war literature can expect a meeting not only with a school social worker but also with a district-level administrator. Schools also involve parents in these talks,” a teacher says.