Russia is intensively dealing with the youngest generation of Russians in a bid to raise what seems to be a generation of people obedient and loyal to the government.
Last month Russian government started developing a 10-year
strategy on upbringing children. The strategy, which is expected to be adopted
in May, outlines bringing up young citizens in the spirit of patriotism, family
values and love for sport. “Strengthening moral bases of social life, formation
of children’s world outlook, Russian identity, respect for the family, society
and state, and creation conditions of
bringing up patriots ready for worthy serving the society and defending
motherland are the project’s main goals,” Russian Deputy Prime minister Elena
Golodets said during a government meeting on Dec. 23.
The Kremlin started intensively telling children what is
right and what is wrong since the beginning of the Russian military aggression
against Ukraine
last year. On April, 29 Russian youth educational project “Set” (network)
invented special alphabet to create in pupils’ minds correct understanding of
Russian reality. Letter “P” portrays Putin, letter “D” means Donetsk,
“S” is Sevastopol, “Ya” is designed for Yalta. “Since recently
Crimea is a symbol connected to Russia
a bit more than to Ukraine.
The alphabet is based on the most actual events of our country,” Anastasiya
Melnyk, spokesperson of the Set youth education project, told the Kyiv Post.
“In real life when you do not talk to the young, they start making Molotov
cocktails. This scenario does not suit us, which is why we are ready to deal
with the rising generation,” referring to the EuroMaidan antigovernment
protests in Ukraine
last winter that toppled President Viktor Yanukovych.
Psychologist Iryna Levchenko believes that in such a way Kremlin
raises new generation of obedient people. “When they grow up, they will have
slave mentality, no personal opinion and will do things according to the
official ideology,” she said.
Volodymyr Kmetyk, head of the Ukrainian children channel
Malyatko TV, believes that in Russia there is
a whole layer of children militaristic and xenophobic literature such as
Malchish-Kibalchish or Adventures of Captain Vrungel. “Since nobody in Russia condemned such literature it means that the
situation in Russia (concerning raising
children) will not change,” he said.
Russian propaganda targets even the smallest kids. On the
evening of March, 11 when Russian troops de facto took over Crimea,
Spokoynoy Nochi, Malyshy! (Good night, kids!), a Russian TV program for kids,
which is broadcasted on the national Russia 1 channel that covers 98.5 percent
of the Russian audience, came out with a controversial story. One if its main
characters dog Filya said he is joining the Russian army because he wants “to
be a protector.” “I want to be a border dog,” Filya said.
Many in Ukraine
interpreted Filya’s words as propaganda of war. “Thank you that Filya did not
say he would bite and tear Banderites,” Larisa Primenko wrote on EuroMaydan
Facebook page on March, 12, referring to the often seen Russian media rhetoric,
according to which fascist-Banderite junta took over power in Ukraine
in a coup.
Representatives of the program denied any political agenda
behind the story. “Cartoons and stories have to be watched as they are, and
should not to be tied to politics,” Evgeniya Khludentsova of the Good night, kids! program told in a
comment to Russian news website Lenta.ru on March, 12.
But Aleksandr Mytroshenkov, the head of board of Klass!
Television Company, which produces Spokoynoy Nochi, Malyshy! indirectly
confirmed that Russian authorities use children TV programs for promoting their
ideas. Speaking about the celebration of the program’s 50th
anniversary, Mytroshenkov said that the idea of a new character, the Amur tiger
that went on the air last October was offered by the Russian President Vladimir
Putin. Siberian or Amur tiger is believed to be Putin’s favorite animal.
Mitroshenkov did not respond to the Kyiv Post’s written request for comment.
Children are also told that Ukrainian army is
bombing areas in eastern Ukrainian territory commonly known as Donbas. The cartoon “Suddenly
our life changed,” made by Ukrainian animator Oleksiy Balashov at the beginning
of July on the territory of a refugee center in Russia’s
Rostov Oblast, blames Ukrainian soldiers for the ruins and deaths of peaceful
people in eastern Ukraine. “Save Donbas people from Ukrainian aggression,” reads the
ticker at the bottom of the video. It does not mention activities and crimes of
Russia-backed separatists in Donbas. Balashov
did not respond to the Kyiv Post written request for comment.
In order to protect Ukrainian children from what many
believe to be propaganda warfare Interior Minister Arsen Avakov banned on Aug.
19 from broadcasting in Ukraine 15 Russian channels, which according to Ukraine’s government promote war and violence in Ukraine. Yet, Russian TV can still be watched on the territory of Ukraine
via satellites. The ban also cannot be implemented in Crimea
and in the parts of Luhansk and Donetsk Oblasts occupied by Kremlin-backed
militants.
Kyiv Post staff
writer Nataliya Trach can be reached at [email protected]
