Against the background of the Russian Federation's war against Ukraine, dictator Vladimir Putin is intensifying not only internal propaganda, but also attempts to mold young Russians into ardent ultra-nationalist patriots. A considerable part of the youth does not even resist.
Points of attention
- The youth of the Russian Federation, influenced by Kremlin propaganda, believes in lies about the need for war with Ukraine.
- Putin's attempts to re-educate Russian youth are dangerous and could have fatal consequences.
- Although some young people support the war, many young Russians are also in favor of peace talks with Ukraine.
The Kremlin is actively raising a new generation of Putinists
Young Russians are quite often influenced by Kremlin propaganda and do not even try to learn the truth about the realities of the Russian Federation's war against Ukraine.
Maryana Naumova is one of the freshest faces of the wartime propaganda machine of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
She is a show host for the Kremlin-controlled flagship television network Channel One, has 85,000 followers on Telegram, and is a regular speaker at youth forums, universities and talk shows around the world.
In the past, Naumova was a prodigy powerlifter with little experience in journalism, but that didn't stop her from covering most of Russia's major battles for peaceful Ukrainian cities, such as Bakhmut and Mariupol.
In her stories, the young propagandist cynically lies that the soldiers of the Russian Federation, they say, came to Ukraine to protect Russian-speakers, despite the fact that in reality they killed, raped and abused innocent Ukrainians.
Naumova is one of thousands of young Russians who have entered their country's new wartime system, adopting the Kremlin's lies as their own beliefs and ensuring that Putin's core ideology — ultra-nationalist patriotism — will be spread by a new generation. This includes the idea that the United States wants to destroy Russia and that Russia is a victim seeking peace, not an aggressor. Like Naumova, they see themselves as patriots who speak the truth, and not as tools of a scam, the publication writes.
All is not lost
What is important to understand is that about 7 out of 10 Russians between the ages of 18 and 24 — 69 percent — support Russia's war against Ukraine. This is indicated by the results of the August survey conducted by Levada Center.
Still, 66 percent of young Russians also support a move toward peace talks, according to the poll — a higher share than the general population, of which only 50 percent support a move toward such talks.
De facto, this means that a large part of Russian youth does not want to fight and is against the continuation of the war against Ukraine.
Sergei Guryev, a Russian economist who fled the country and is now dean of the London Business School, called Putin's attempts to reeducate Russian schoolchildren "dangerous."
As the borders are increasingly closed to young Russians, and Putin is introducing this ideological education, we may end up with a generation that is being raised in a Putin-like way... We will have to deal with it somehow. However, it will not be simple and quick.
