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Russia to Push War Propaganda in Occupied Ukrainian Kindergartens, Targeting Children Aged 3–7
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Russia will pilot a new kindergarten program, designed for children aged 3 to 7, promoting “traditional values” alongside lessons in Russian history, culture, and patriotism, with plans to extend it nationwide by year’s end.
Russia’s Ministry of Education will roll out the “Conversations About Important Things” program in kindergartens across Moscow and nearly 20 other regions starting on September 1, according to Vedomosti. The program will also be implemented in preschool institutions in the Russian-occupied regions of Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Luhansk, Meduza reported on August 19.
The initiative will begin as a pilot project, with a decision on whether it will be expanded to all state-run kindergartens by the end of the year, the Ministry said.
The program targets children aged 3 to 7 years old, with topics aimed at instilling values such as the “importance of family and friendship, communication and cooperation skills, and moral qualities like kindness, honesty, justice, and compassion.” The lessons will also include discussions on “Russian history, culture” and “love of the Motherland”.
The Russian Education Minister Sergey Kravtsov stated that the sessions will be conducted in an engaging and age-appropriate manner.
The “Conversations About Important Things” initiative has been running in Russian schools since 2022, taking place weekly before the first lesson. The Ministry’s teaching guides suggest that older students will learn about “love of Russia” and, starting in fifth grade, about the ongoing “special military operation” in Ukraine.
The proposal to expand the program to kindergartens was first made by Russian leader Vladimir Putin in October 2024. Speaking to finalists of the “Teacher of the Year” contest, he stressed the need for authorities to introduce “certain basic concepts at the earliest age.” Following his remarks, dozens of Russian kindergartens reported implementing these sessions for their students, Meduza stated.
Previously, it was reported that a Russian state-sponsored network channels hundreds of thousands of Russian schoolchildren into drone development programs that ultimately feed the military’s unmanned aerial vehicle forces, as investigation by The Insider revealed.
