In Russia’s Kurgan region, the local diocese has released a film titled On the Line of Life about priest Mikhail Shusharin, who took part in the war against Ukraine. Mass screenings have already been held in three educational institutions, including a boarding school for hearing-impaired children.
The screenings were accompanied by discussions about the “heroism and courage of the Russian clergy.” Children were also asked to reflect on what they would think about in a situation “when you could die every second and stand before God to answer for your life.”
The project’s authors openly state that the film is intended to change young people’s attitudes toward the war, claiming that 40–50% of people aged 18 to 29 do not support the SMO (special military operation).
“The fruits of the cultural interpretation of the SMO should primarily consist in changing young people’s attitudes toward current events and increasing their patriotic spirit,” the authors wrote in their grant application.
📌 The On the Line of Life film series about priests from Kurgan — where, according to the project, one in ten clergy members went to the front — received nearly 2 million rubles from the Presidential Fund for Cultural Initiatives, with an additional 767,000 rubles listed as co-financing.
