A Pro-War Childhood?

Since the start of Russia’s War on Ukraine, children's books, cartoons, plays, comics, and even toys glorifying the conflict and the Russian soldiers have emerged across the country.

In September 2023, students in some regions began receiving a brochure called “Azbuka o Vazhnom” (“The ABCs of the Important"), which offers a “patriotic word” for each letter of the alphabet. For example, the letter "B" corresponds to the word “bratstvo” ("brotherhood") and the slogan “Svoikh ne brosaem” ("We do not abandon our guys") — a phrase widely used in pro-war propaganda.

Other pro-war children's books have also been published. The publishing house of The National Guard of Russia (Rosgvardiya) released “Alexander Potapov — Geroy Rossiy Posmertno. 'Glavnoe Chtoby vy zhili.' SVO Rossii na Ukraine” (“Alexander — Posthumous Hero of Russia. 'The Main Thing Is That You Live.' Russia’s Special Military Operation in Ukraine”). The book echoes the Soviet-era story of Pavlik Morozov, whose loyalty to the Communist Party was depicted as more important than family ties. In the Rosgvardiya book, a girl in a Ukrainian city occupied by Russia betrays her father, who is spying for Ukrainian forces, to Russian soldiers.

The same publisher also produces comics about the defenders of the fairy-tale metropolis of Dubrava, where residents are protected from invaders by Lesgvardia, an anthropomorphic detachment of animals.

This use of animal imagery to explain war to children isn’t unique. In 2022, with support from the Presidential Fund for Cultural Initiatives, the puppet show “Kak Medved оt volkov les Zashchishal” (“How the Bear Protected the Forest from Wolves”) was staged in Cherkessk. The production received a government grant of R500,000 ($5,300). The story is an allegory for Russia's War on Ukraine, depicting an “overseas” jackal and hyena convincing wolves that they shouldn’t befriend a bear. The wolves plan to attack the forest, but the bear intervenes, explaining that they are in the wrong. The wolves eventually recognize their mistake and return home. One participant in the play told a journalist from Novaya Vkladka (New Tab) that the jackals represent Western countries, the bear symbolizes Russia, and the wolves are nations that were once friendly with Russia but began to question their alliances.

In other Russian children's plays, the war is depicted without metaphor. For instance, the play “Radio Pasha” tells the story of a soldier who was mobilized and lost a leg. Created by the family-friendly theater “Kovcheg” (“The Ark”), the play premiered in St. Petersburg.

Children have also been involved in creating patriotic, pro-war content. In 2023, students at a social rehabilitation center in the village of Omutinskoye, Tyumen region, worked with Oksana Toveskina, head of an animation studio, to create the cartoon “Pismo lyubimomu soldatu” (“Letter to a Beloved Soldier”).

Toy manufacturers have joined the effort to promote war, with new toy soldiers representing participants in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Irina Metelkina, founder of the Museum of Childhood in Vologda and an advocate for distributing such toys in schools, told Novaya Vkladka that these toys should become popular among children. Otherwise, she said, “boys will stop wanting to join the army and defend their homeland.”

However, experts interviewed by Novaya Vkladka expressed doubt that all these efforts to glorify war among children will have a lasting impact. Children’s author and teacher Nina Dashevskaya criticized “The ABCs of the Important," saying, “If a child is learning letters, they need concrete objects like a house, a dog, a tree, not abstract concepts.”

Children’s author and editor-in-chief of “Pereplet” (“Bookbinding”), a magazine for children’s and adolescent literature, Alexey Oleynikov, pointed out that there are few pro-war works for children today. He attributed this to two factors: the state apparatus has not fully transitioned to a “besieged fortress” mentality, and children’s literature tends to be conservative. According to Oleynikov, current trends in children’s and adolescent literature lean toward escapism, such as Korean dramas and “retro texts” that take readers away from present realities. He predicted that literary works about the war in Ukraine for children might be published in greater numbers when a “recognizable heroic character” emerges from the war zone. However, he questioned whether this would be enough to achieve effective propaganda among children.