Patriotism, “traditional values,” and digital sovereignty

The Ministry of Education, together with the Institute for the Study of Childhood, Family, and Education, has released the official curriculum for the Conversations About Important Things program for the 2025–2026 academic year. The agenda includes 32 lessons — three fewer than last year — but the core content remains the same: patriotism, militarism, and traditional values.

📌 September: Students will be introduced to the concept of “digital sovereignty” — why the state needs it, and how it ties into “national security.”

📌 December, February, May: Lessons will focus on military-patriotic themes, with stories of “heroes from ancient times to the present,” emphasizing that heroism and courage are part of Russia’s cultural DNA.

📌 The final lesson of the year is titled “The Values That Unite Us” — identical in name and content to last year’s concluding class.

According to the official teaching guide, the teacher’s role is to instill a “value-based attitude toward the Motherland.” Repeating the same themes and wording throughout the year, the authors say, will encourage students to “consciously accept” these values.

❗️ The first lesson of the new cycle will be held this Monday, September 1, under the seemingly neutral title: “Why Does a Person Need to Learn?” However, even this topic contains embedded propaganda.

Teachers are instructed to foster pride in “the achievements of outstanding Russian citizens” and emphasize “the role of the state in the development and strengthening of the Russian education system.”

The class includes a video by the Movement of the First portraying service to the Motherland as the highest calling — complete with footage from the war zone in Ukraine. As supplementary material, students are recommended to watch an interview with Maria Zakharova about “traditional values as the foundation of the future world.”