RUSSIA is building an army of “child zombies” in a bid to turn them into Kremlin loyalists and enemies of the West.
Tyrant Vladimir Putin is brainwashing schoolchildren to ensure they do not become critics of the Russian regime, according to experts.
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Since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russia has ramped up efforts to control the young population and dissuade them from becoming critics of the state.
This includes “Three Pillars” of propaganda the Kremlin introduced to push more pro-Putin ideologies.
Tactics like compulsory patriotic education and drastic changes in Russian history that fit the Kremlin’s narrative have been introduced alongside active military-patriotic activities.
Russia experts say that the regime – which now thinks it is at war with the West – needs popular support from its citizens more than ever.
And an indoctrinating an entire generation of patriots will help Russia move forward with its ideologies against the West.
And it will also prevent the youth from turning into critics of Putin’s government, they argue.
Mikhail Komin, a Russia expert from the European Council on Foreign Relations, told The Sun: “In the next 10 years, because of the intense state-related propaganda, Russia will have a proper Putin generation who will be loyal to the dictator.
“Since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Putin has realised he needs a more loyal public and the influence he had on them was not enough.
“So now he is brainwashing the children from kindergarten up to the youth studying in universities.
“The Russian regime believes that a real rivalry with the West, a war with Nato has now begun and the whole world is watching it so Putin is trying to control as much population as he can.”
Dr Maxim Alyukov, a King’s College Russia program research fellow, said Putin views children as a potential threat to his iron-fist regime.
He told The Sun: “By shaping students’ views early, the government hopes to influence their political attitudes and ‘inoculate’ them before they reach adulthood, become interested in politics, and potentially become an audience for the opposition.
“Children are often used as a pretext for justifying more repressive measures. Framing repressive measures as necessary for the protection of children tends to receive less public resistance.
“Many repressive policies, such as anti-LGBT measures, internet censorship and many others, were introduced in Russia using children as a justification.”
The Russian regime believes that a real rivalry with the West has begun so Putin is trying to control as much population as he can
Mikhail Komin
Mr Komin explained Kremlin’s first pillar of propaganda is compulsory patriotic education.
He said this promotes pro-regime ideas – and teaches young kids a Kremlin-approved view of current political events and history.
Russia recently introduced what it calls “Conversations About Important Things,” a compulsory class taught every Monday in all Russian public schools.
The lessons taught in this class are used to brainwash kids with an alternative reality of the country – and promote Russian “values” like conservatism and traditional feminism.
Just a month after the Russia-Ukraine war started, Vladimir Medinsky, the former Minister of Culture introduced a drastic change in the Russian history textbooks.
The Russian government hopes to influence their political attitudes and ‘inoculate’ them before they reach adulthood
Dr Maxim Alyukov
As a result, an entirely new curriculum was introduced that offers a completely different version of Russian history that contains a much stronger pro-Kremlin bias.
Dr Alyukov said the textbook “significantly shifts emphasis in the coverage of Soviet history, de-emphasising Stalin’s repressions, and framing the West as the major culprit of most international conflicts in the latter half of the 20th century.”
“It highlights the achievements of the superpower Soviet Union, indignation at the humiliations of the Soviet collapse, and acclaim for the ‘rebirth’ of Russia under Putin’s rule,” he added.
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The lessons also include chapters about the invasion of Ukraine but have been framed in a way that matches the Kremlin’s views and perspectives.
In the new version of Russian history, officials call the bloody Ukraine war a “special military operation” and blame the West heavily for the world events.
Many chapters use the word “Nazi” as the key term to refer to Ukraine.
These chapters, according to the experts, are meant to brainwash kids and make them believe that Putin’s meatgrinder war against Ukraine is justified.
The second pillar includes things outside the educational context.
Experts told The Sun how Putin’s regime has introduced new activities in schools and colleges to capture the minds of the youth.
This includes extracurricular activities, such as meetings with veterans of the war in Ukraine and patriotic poetry and drawing sessions.
A TOY CALLED KALASHNIKOV
Dr Alyukov explains how active military-patriotic organisations for the youth, such as Yunarmiya and Dvizheniye Pervykh, are teaching kids in Russia how to throw grenades and assemble a Kalashnikov.
The Kremlin is also pushing its narrative through new-age digital media to more effectively sway the younger generation, he said.
The expert added: “Russia is trying to appeal to the youth through culture, entertainment, and digital media.
“Recognising the influence of oppositional bloggers, the Kremlin has invested heavily in cultivating patriotic influencers and online content creators.
“These creators can spread state-approved narratives and counter dissenting opinions, but package them in a more modern, fashionable form.
“They often use humour, memes, and popular trends to resonate with younger audiences.
“There are some attempts to invest in video games with pro-regime narratives and other areas.”
Even if there is one critical young online user, escaping pro-regime narratives is impossible
Dr Maxim Alyukov
Mr Komin said the third and final pillar of the Kremlin’s propaganda machine is preventing the youth from accessing information through independent educational resources and media outlets.
Russian authorities have mostly blocked all websites and banned apps that are affiliated with the West or carry “enemy” ideologies.
To fill in the gaps, major state media outlets increased their presence online.
Bots and rolls are used to amplify the visibility of pro-regime sources and search engines and news aggregators are used to downplay the presence of opposition sources.
Dr Alyukov said: “Today, even if there is one critical young online user, escaping pro-regime narratives is impossible.
“Alternative strategies are used to confuse people, undermine the credibility of oppositional media, sow doubt.
“Even if you do not manage to convince the young audience, at least you can dissuade them from criticism.”
Mikhail said that even though many teachers in primary schools don’t want to teach lessons filled with Russian-state propaganda, they are left with no choice but to follow the Kremlin’s instructions due to their social circumstances.
Read more on the Scottish Sun
“Most of these teachers come from humble backgrounds and don’t have the means to get jobs anywhere else.
“They are left with no choice but to follow what has been instructed to them.”
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How Belarus is snatching and warping Ukrainian kids for Putin
By Iona Cleave, Foreign News Reporter
BELARUS has abducted thousands of Ukrainian children in what could be a chilling attempt to build a new army for Putin, experts have warned.
Ukrainian special forces, rights advocates, and those leading brave missions to rescue kidnapped kids told The Sun that the actions of Russia’s “satellite state” amount to “genocide”.
Evidence is fast mounting that Ukrainian kids trapped in Russian-held territories have been snatched from families, hospitals and orphanages and shipped off to Belarus.
Investigators claim that the country is mimicking Russia’s war crimes by using force, abuse and coercion to transfer the children across the border and forcibly enrol them in “rehabilitation” camps.
Now, fears are growing that the traumatised youngsters are being trained to become “bound for the Belarusian army” and, in turn, an arm of the Russian military.
“There is no question what we are talking about,” top human rights lawyer Kateryna Rashevska told The Sun.
“It is the indoctrination, militarisation, and Russification of these children and the eradication of their Ukrainian national identity.”
Investigators estimate anywhere between 3,000 to 6,000 kids have been taken to Belarus, where it becomes increasingly murky to track their movements.
Rashevska told The Sun that a summer campaign was in full swing to transfer the children into Belarus “to be indoctrinated in a very fast transition”.
The goal, she said, was to subjugate and militarise innocent Ukrainian children so that one day they might fight for the Belarusian army.
But it extends far beyond that, the lawyer explained. “Belarus’ efforts serve a broader purpose – to glorify war as a phenomenon.”
From the camps, it’s believed that some of the youngsters have been sent on to Russia – even to eastern regions as far as 4,000 miles from their homes in Ukraine.
Or they have been known to be returned to Russian-held territories and forced to join militarised youth associations poisoned with Russian propaganda.
“Lukashenko’s actions are not isolated but rather indicative of shared intentions with Putin,” Rashevska explained.
And when it comes to the “rehabilitation” camps – the evidence is clear.
The stolen children spend weeks or even months being “brainwashed, forced to speak Russian and enrolled into patriotic youth military movements – all funded by the Russian Federation”.
Britain’s ambassador to Ukraine, Melinda Simmons, has referred to the kidnappings as part of Russia’s “hybrid invasion”.
The diplomat described it as a catastrophic long-term strategy to sever ties between Ukraine and the “next generation that will defend the country”.
Rashevska said that central to this plot is an assault on the children’s sense of national identity, which proves genocidal intent.
