How the fourth Military-Patriotic Dictation went

For the fourth year in a row, the Avangard Center for Military-Patriotic Education of Youth has organized the “Military-Patriotic Dictation” for school and university students. According to the organizers, the in-person stage held on December 1 gathered around 60,000 participants across Russia. In total, over the three years of this campaign’s existence, more than 800,000 students from all regions have taken part.

The dictation consists of 25 questions, and participants have 45 minutes to complete it. Both teachers and students aged 14 and older are encouraged to join. The content covers military terminology and history, state symbols, WWII, heroic narratives, and — increasingly — the war against Ukraine.

Here are some examples of questions students were asked: define the term “denazification,” name the date when the “special military operation” began, identify the Donetsk memorial dedicated to “children killed by neo-Nazi aggression against civilians,” name the coat of arms of one of the occupied territories of Ukraine.

“What is the name of the set of measures aimed at freeing from Nazi influence, including dismantling and removing Nazi ideology that thrives in Ukraine?”

There is also a section devoted to military conscription, including questions such as: “What is the prison term for evading military service?”

Some questions are illustrated with memes and propaganda slogans. For example, the question about Operation 'Potok' / 'Truba' (related to an alleged Ukrainian incursion into the Kursk region) is accompanied by a poster reading: “If there’s no gas in the pipes — it means there’s a special forces unit inside.”

We identified at least 30 questions explicitly tied to the war in Ukraine, either through direct terminology or implied framing.

Thousands of schools have already reported participation in the event, publishing photos of students and personalized certificates, emphasizing the role of the dictation in instilling patriotism in children.