August 13, 2023

Kremlin Rewrites History


Kremlin Rewrites History
A stack of books. Alexander Grey, Unsplash.

Russia's latest history textbook for 16- to 18-year-olds includes a thorough rewriting of Russia’s history from the 1970s to the 2000s. Vladimir Medinsky, the Former Minister of Culture and one of the textbook’s co-authors, presented it at a press conference in Moscow. The book is scheduled for release in September.

“The sections for the 70s, 80s, 90s, and 2000s have been completely revised and rewritten. A section has been added from 2014 to the present that includes the special military operation,” Medinsky said. With a mix of Soviet accomplishments, resentment over the USSR's downfall, and commendations for Russia’s revival since the late 90s, the book aligns with Putin’s lie-filled historical perspective.

According to another co-author, rector of Moscow's State Institute of International Relations Anatoly Torkunov, the textbook’s events are contextualized through “today’s understanding of what happened and what is happening at the moment.”

The textbook characterizes Ukraine as an "ultra-nationalist state" with a record of suppressing any kind of dissent. It contends that the invasion aims to safeguard Donbas and proactively secure Russia. The text also suggests that the United States is a "chief beneficiary" and accuses the West of financing Ukraine, imposing "illegal sanctions" on Russia, and appropriating over $300 billion in Russian assets.

Reuters obtained a copy of the textbook. On page 393, it says: "The West became fixated with destabilizing the situation inside Russia. The aim was not even hidden: to dismember Russia and to get control over its resources."

The textbook authors advised high school students to exercise caution when consuming online war-related information, warning of a persistent stream of fabricated content, staged videos, and misleading images flooding the digital sphere. The book's narrative emphasizes that Russia's younger generation should grasp the significance of the Soviet Union's demise, be wary of perceived Western ideals, and be prepared to contribute to their motherland through self-sacrifice.

You Might Also Like

What are They Teaching Our Kids?
  • May 01, 2004

What are They Teaching Our Kids?

Profound changes are afoot that will alter how future generations of Russians see the world. In schools across Russia, new curricula are being introduced, history is being rewritten, and the role of religion in education is being hotly debated.
What Lies Beneath
  • May 01, 2021

What Lies Beneath

On the architectural heritage of Moscow that is being lost, bit by bit, though not without some resistance by dedicated scientists and activists.
Taken from Home to Belarus
  • July 24, 2023

Taken from Home to Belarus

Children from Russian-annexed Ukraine are being sent to camps in Belarus. Many don't return.
Medieval Musings
  • June 13, 2023

Medieval Musings

A medieval guide to life and ethics may be integrated into the Russian education system.
Standing the Test of Time
  • January 31, 2023

Standing the Test of Time

A conservative State Duma deputy called for the removal of The Gulag Archipelago from the Russian school curriculum.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

Marooned in Moscow
May 01, 2011

Marooned in Moscow

This gripping autobiography plays out against the backdrop of Russia's bloody Civil War, and was one of the first Western eyewitness accounts of life in post-revolutionary Russia. Marooned in Moscow provides a fascinating account of one woman's entry into war-torn Russia in early 1920, first-person impressions of many in the top Soviet leadership, and accounts of the author's increasingly dangerous work as a journalist and spy, to say nothing of her work on behalf of prisoners, her two arrests, and her eventual ten-month-long imprisonment, including in the infamous Lubyanka prison. It is a veritable encyclopedia of life in Russia in the early 1920s.

Bears in the Caviar
May 01, 2015

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.

How Russia Got That Way
September 20, 2025

How Russia Got That Way

A fast-paced crash course in Russian history, from Norsemen to Navalny, that explores the ways the Kremlin uses history to achieve its ends.

Moscow and Muscovites
November 26, 2013

Moscow and Muscovites

Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 

Murder at the Dacha
July 01, 2013

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.

Faith & Humor
December 01, 2011

Faith & Humor

A book that dares to explore the humanity of priests and pilgrims, saints and sinners, Faith & Humor has been both a runaway bestseller in Russia and the focus of heated controversy – as often happens when a thoughtful writer takes on sacred cows. The stories, aphorisms, anecdotes, dialogues and adventures in this volume comprise an encyclopedia of modern Russian Orthodoxy, and thereby of Russian life.

Driving Down Russia's Spine
June 01, 2016

Driving Down Russia's Spine

The story of the epic Spine of Russia trip, intertwining fascinating subject profiles with digressions into historical and cultural themes relevant to understanding modern Russia. 

The Samovar Murders
November 01, 2019

The Samovar Murders

The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.

Life Stories
September 01, 2009

Life Stories

The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.

Fish
February 01, 2010

Fish

This mesmerizing novel from one of Russia’s most important modern authors traces the life journey of a selfless Russian everywoman. In the wake of the Soviet breakup, inexorable forces drag Vera across the breadth of the Russian empire. Facing a relentless onslaught of human and social trials, she swims against the current of life, countering adversity and pain with compassion and hope, in many ways personifying Mother Russia’s torment and resilience amid the Soviet disintegration.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955