"I Don't Want To Be A Mouthpiece"

Russian President Vladimir Putin declared 2023 the Year of Teachers and Mentors in Russia. The Ministry of Education wrote on its website that “this is not only a chance to thank the teachers who educate our children every day, but also a time for new opportunities.”

Gratitude and new opportunities were not long in coming. Over the course of two years of war, teachers unwilling to support Russia’s “special military operation” have been given the opportunity to pay fines, face administrative and criminal charges, and lose their jobs.