"United Russia" campaigning in schools, mass surveillance of teenagers’ social media, a fine for speaking at a parent meeting, recruitment into drone units, and the full transition of schools to MAX — this is what another week in Russian education looked like.
📌 "United Russia" enters schools
Ahead of the State Duma elections, the ruling party "United Russia" began using schools as platforms for political campaigning, despite it being prohibited by law. Deputies visit students with fruit, toys, and gadgets branded with party symbols. In many cases, the campaigning is accompanied by military imagery.
📌 Mass surveillance of students’ social media
In the Sverdlovsk region, authorities reported the round-the-clock monitoring of 4.6 million teenage social media accounts. According to Deputy Governor Tatyana Savinova, when “prohibited” content is detected, signals are sent to the Ministry of Education and the school, after which “targeted work” is conducted with the family.
📌 All schools switched to MAX
Minister of Education Sergey Kravtsov announced that all Russian schools have transitioned to the MAX messenger. According to him, it is now used for access to gradebooks, assignments, and enrollment services for kindergartens and schools. The move was justified as necessary to protect children from “destructive content.”
📌 Fine for speaking at a parent meeting
A resident of the Krasnoyarsk region was fined 15,000 rubles under the law on “discrediting the army” after speaking at a school parent meeting. She opposed fundraising for the Russian military, after which another participant reported her to the прокуратура (prosecutor’s office). She did not admit guilt, and the court based its decision on witness testimony and meeting records.
📌 Students recruited into drone units
At a lyceum in Yekaterinburg, an active drone operator gave a presentation to students about the “career prospects” in unmanned systems. The school administration stated that such meetings help foster patriotic consciousness and interest in technical professions.
