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Russian Schools Warn Students of Life in Prison for Treason and the Dangers of VPNs
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Schoolchildren across Russia are attending special classes where they are warned about prison sentences, including life imprisonment, for actions classified as state treason, espionage, and sabotage, The Moscow Times reported on April 29.
The lessons, titled “Treason Against the Motherland is the Gravest Crime,” were held in April for students in grades five through eleven across dozens of schools and technical colleges in regions ranging from Tatarstan to the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous region.
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The lectures feature speakers from the prosecutor’s office, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Investigative Committee, as well as lawyers and representatives of the Znanie society . Students are taught about the consequences of defecting to the enemy and are told that traitors have never been forgiven throughout Russian history.
In the Amur region, lecturers emphasized that the consequences of sabotage, terrorism, or espionage include life imprisonment and the formation of a heavily negative public reputation for the perpetrators.
During the classes, students are explicitly urged to show civic vigilance and report any suspicious activities to security forces. Lecturers warn that treason not only results in lengthy prison terms but also destroys the lives and reputations of both the guilty individuals and their relatives.
Alongside these warnings, students are instructed on how to avoid online recruitment, the importance of patriotism, and the supposed feats of the Russian military on the frontline in Ukraine, The Moscow Times reported.
Additionally, schools are currently conducting lessons to warn children about the legal dangers of using VPN services to bypass internet restrictions. These classes feature titles such as “Using a VPN is an Aggravating Circumstance When Committing Crimes” and “VPNs are Outlawed.” To deliver these warnings, educational institutions are bringing in police officers, psychiatrists, and employees of the federal prison service.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russian authorities have restricted internet access by blocking Western social media platforms and independent news websites. To enforce these measures, the government implemented a ban on the promotion of VPN services in 2024 and has increasingly targeted the technical infrastructure used to bypass state-imposed filters.
These mandatory security classes are part of a Russian state effort to integrate military and state narratives into the education system. According to a previous report, authorities in Moscow ordered educational institutions to establish museums dedicated to the invasion of Ukraine, with 175 already set up across the city.
The initiative, which follows a 2023 directive from Russian leader Vladimir Putin, features frontline artifacts and installations. This also extends to early childhood education, with kindergartens being recommended to create similar exhibits to foster patriotism and involve families in volunteer activities supporting the military.
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