In the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, Russia is launching a new tool to influence children’s minds — the so-called ‘alphabet of victory.’ Starting on 1 September, first-graders are to begin studying using an interactive textbook which, according to the Centre for National Resistance, promotes a distorted version of history and propaganda narratives.
The ‘alphabet’ tells of fictional feats and Soviet-style heroic characters — in particular, it mentions the ‘Panfilovites,’ whose story has long been debunked. The main goal is to shape children’s perceptions of Russia’s exceptional role in the ‘great victory,’ while completely ignoring the contribution of Ukraine and other allies in defeating Nazism.
The Centre for National Resistance calls this another stage of ideological pressure aimed at Russifying the new generation. Under the pretext of supposedly patriotic education, children are being forced to adopt a new identity in which there is no place for the Ukrainian context.
This is not the first time Russia has changed the curriculum in the occupied regions. Earlier, it was reported that they plan to add so-called ‘works of military writers’ — authors who participated in hostilities against Ukraine — to school courses. This is part of Moscow’s systematic policy aimed at the informational subjugation of Ukrainian citizens from an early age.
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