Another “Conversations About Important Things” lesson was held in Russian schools today, this time on the topic of “Selection and Genetics,” marking the 170th anniversary of breeder Ivan Michurin. The key values emphasized were “patriotism” and “high moral ideals.”
During the lesson, teachers explained the concept of food security and spoke about the challenges faced by breeders “under sanctions from the Western community.”
“In 2025, it has been 11 years since anti-Russian sanctions were introduced. In response, our state has strengthened its import substitution policy: the import of certain food products from countries that supported the sanctions has been banned,” — the teacher says.
According to the teaching materials, developing resilient crop varieties helps ensure domestic food production and reduces dependence on other countries. Teachers also emphasized that “serving one’s country implies not only defending it and ensuring sovereignty, but also preserving natural resources and goods.”
Students in grades 10–11 were shown a fragment from Nikita Mikhalkov’s 2015 program BesogonTV, in which the director discusses sanctions and the “unpretentiousness of the Russian people,” explaining why Russians are accustomed to modest living standards and value hard work.
Mikhalkov describes sanctions as “something between persuasion, political dialogue, requests, and military aggression,” framing them as part of hybrid and information warfare:
“There is no hot war yet—bombs are not falling, shells are not flying—but nevertheless, gradual pressure is meant to force states and the peoples living in them to abandon their principles.”
