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Russian propaganda targets children

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Jan. 3, 2015, 10:09 a.m. | Russia and former Soviet Union — by Nataliya Trach

A woman looks at T-shirts with portraits of Russia's President Vladimir Putin, in a shop in central Moscow on August 11, 2014. The sale of a new collection of T-shirts with Putin's portrait starts in the Russian capital on August 11, at a price of 1200 rubles (25 euros).
© AFP PHOTO / KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV

Nataliya Trach

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Russia is intensively dealing with the youngest generation of Russians in a bid to raise what seems to be a generation of people obedient and loyal to the government.

Last month Russian government started developing a 10-year strategy on upbringing children. The strategy, which is expected to be adopted in May, outlines bringing up young citizens in the spirit of patriotism, family values and love for sport. “Strengthening moral bases of social life, formation of children’s world outlook, Russian identity, respect for the family, society and state, and creation conditions of bringing up patriots ready for worthy serving the society and defending motherland are the project’s main goals,” Russian Deputy Prime minister Elena Golodets said during a government meeting on Dec. 23.

The Kremlin started intensively telling children what is right and what is wrong since the beginning of the Russian military aggression against Ukraine last year. On April, 29 Russian youth educational project “Set” (network) invented special alphabet to create in pupils’ minds correct understanding of Russian reality. Letter “P” portrays Putin, letter “D” means Donetsk, “S” is Sevastopol, “Ya” is designed for Yalta. “Since recently Crimea is a symbol connected to Russia a bit more than to Ukraine. The alphabet is based on the most actual events of our country,” Anastasiya Melnyk, spokesperson of the Set youth education project, told the Kyiv Post. “In real life when you do not talk to the young, they start making Molotov cocktails. This scenario does not suit us, which is why we are ready to deal with the rising generation,” referring to the EuroMaidan antigovernment protests in Ukraine last winter that toppled President Viktor Yanukovych.

Psychologist Iryna Levchenko believes that in such a way Kremlin raises new generation of obedient people. “When they grow up, they will have slave mentality, no personal opinion and will do things according to the official ideology,” she said.

Volodymyr Kmetyk, head of the Ukrainian children channel Malyatko TV, believes that in Russia there is a whole layer of children militaristic and xenophobic literature such as Malchish-Kibalchish or Adventures of Captain Vrungel. “Since nobody in Russia condemned such literature it means that the situation in Russia (concerning raising children) will not change,” he said.

Russian propaganda targets even the smallest kids. On the evening of March, 11 when Russian troops de facto took over Crimea, Spokoynoy Nochi, Malyshy! (Good night, kids!), a Russian TV program for kids, which is broadcasted on the national Russia 1 channel that covers 98.5 percent of the Russian audience, came out with a controversial story. One if its main characters dog Filya said he is joining the Russian army because he wants “to be a protector.” “I want to be a border dog,” Filya said.

Many in Ukraine interpreted Filya’s words as propaganda of war. “Thank you that Filya did not say he would bite and tear Banderites,” Larisa Primenko wrote on EuroMaydan Facebook page on March, 12, referring to the often seen Russian media rhetoric, according to which fascist-Banderite junta took over power in Ukraine in a coup.

Representatives of the program denied any political agenda behind the story. “Cartoons and stories have to be watched as they are, and should not to be tied to politics,” Evgeniya Khludentsova of the Good night, kids! program told in a comment to Russian news website Lenta.ru on March, 12.

But Aleksandr Mytroshenkov, the head of board of Klass! Television Company, which produces Spokoynoy Nochi, Malyshy! indirectly confirmed that Russian authorities use children TV programs for promoting their ideas. Speaking about the celebration of the program’s 50th anniversary, Mytroshenkov said that the idea of a new character, the Amur tiger that went on the air last October was offered by the Russian President Vladimir Putin. Siberian or Amur tiger is believed to be Putin’s favorite animal. Mitroshenkov did not respond to the Kyiv Post’s written request for comment.

Children are also told that Ukrainian army is bombing areas in eastern Ukrainian territory commonly known as Donbas. The cartoon “Suddenly our life changed,” made by Ukrainian animator Oleksiy Balashov at the beginning of July on the territory of a refugee center in Russia’s Rostov Oblast, blames Ukrainian soldiers for the ruins and deaths of peaceful people in eastern Ukraine. “Save Donbas people from Ukrainian aggression,” reads the ticker at the bottom of the video. It does not mention activities and crimes of Russia-backed separatists in Donbas. Balashov did not respond to the Kyiv Post written request for comment.

In order to protect Ukrainian children from what many believe to be propaganda warfare Interior Minister Arsen Avakov banned on Aug. 19 from broadcasting in Ukraine 15 Russian channels, which according to Ukraine’s government promote war and violence in Ukraine. Yet, Russian TV can still be watched on the territory of Ukraine via satellites. The ban also cannot be implemented in Crimea and in the parts of Luhansk and Donetsk Oblasts occupied by Kremlin-backed militants.

Kyiv Post staff writer Nataliya Trach can be reached at trach@kyivpost.com