Russian Prosecutors Sue Schools Over “Incorrect” Maps That Don’t Include Annexed Ukrainian Regions

In 2023–2024, prosecutors in various Russian regions filed at least 52 lawsuits against schools, demanding they purchase “correct” geographic maps of Russia and the world, Verstka reported on March 11.

According to the news agency, the prosecutors demand that these maps depict Crimea, as well as Ukraine’s Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, and Luhansk regions, as part of Russian territory.

Schools lacking “updated” geographic maps are deemed by prosecutors to be in violation of the Constitution and the federal law “On Basic Guarantees of Children’s Rights.” Prosecutors argue that outdated maps could give children “misleading knowledge about Russia’s borders and territorial integrity.”

According to The Moscow Times, prosecutors won 50 of these lawsuits, forcing at least 57 Russian schools to purchase new maps to avoid fines. School administrations cited a lack of funds and the need to apply for additional financing.

Schools in Yaroslavl, Kirov, Novgorod, and Leningrad regions, as well as in Altai Krai, and the republics of Udmurtia and Kabardino-Balkaria, were among those ordered to acquire the revised maps.

Previously, 190 schools in Russia were named in honor of participants in the war of aggression against Ukraine.