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Russian Schools Establish War Exhibits and Museums Justifying It's War in Ukraine

Russian schools are increasingly incorporating war-related exhibitions, with museums dedicated to the Kremlin’s “special military operation ” opening alongside patriotic lessons and memorial plaques for killed soldiers, The Moscow Times reported on February 5.
The inauguration of a “Special Operation Museum” at School No. 34 in Belgorod highlights the Kremlin’s efforts to instill wartime ideology in Russian youth.
“I am confident that the Special Operation Museum opened today at the school will provide our younger generation with a true example of courage, patriotism, and love for their Motherland,” a Belgorod city deputy stated.
The museum features a military banner and personal belongings of a killed graduate. School administrators say the banner was blessed by Russian Orthodox Church leader Patriarch Kirill.
“Earlier [at the start of the full-scale war], [these museums were] a local initiative—someone pushed for it, someone took Putin’s speech too literally. But now we are seeing a wider trend,” independent educator Dima Zitzer told The Moscow Times.
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War museums are appearing across Russia, including in Ulan-Ude, Buryatia, where a children’s art school now houses an exhibition about the war.
“Museums like these will allow us to convey the truth, the real truth,” the mayor of Ulan-Ude said at the opening.
“There is still no simple answer as to why the war is being fought,” Historian Vladislav Staf told The Moscow Times. “The most unexpected explanations have been given—one even claimed it was ‘against global homosexuality.’ It sounds comical, but it shows that a single, clear answer still does not exist.”
In Bashkortostan, a school museum backed by the United Russia party is dedicated to local soldiers killed in the war. Exhibits include portraits, a front-line map, helmets, and even a packet of wet wipes issued to soldiers.
A separate section is dedicated to World War II, reinforcing the Kremlin’s claim that Russia’s war in Ukraine is a continuation of the fight against fascism.
“Putin and his inner circle use rhetoric that portrays the war in Ukraine as yet another sacred war against fascism. And such a war, by definition, cannot be considered criminal,” Staf said.
Some exhibitions extend beyond schools.
In fall 2024, a checkpoint “Just like on the front lines” was installed in a Simferopol schoolyard in temporarily occupied Crimea. A military headquarters built on campus features bunk beds resembling army barracks. The school now plans to open a shooting range for firearms training.
Previously, Russian officials presented a new school textbook designed to explain the war in Ukraine to teenagers, framing it as a necessary action to safeguard Russia’s security, according to Reuters on January 27.