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

Russian Rules

Russian Rules

From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.
A Taste of Chekhov

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.
The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.  
Marooned in Moscow

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.
The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.
Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy

Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy

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.
Murder at the Dacha

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.
Turgenev Bilingual

Turgenev Bilingual

A sampling of Ivan Turgenev's masterful short stories, plays, novellas and novels. Bilingual, with English and accented Russian texts running side by side on adjoining pages.
Woe From Wit (bilingual)

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.
Dostoyevsky Bilingual

Dostoyevsky Bilingual

Bilingual series of short, lesser known, but highly significant works that show the traditional view of Dostoyevsky as a dour, intense, philosophical writer to be unnecessarily one-sided. 
Steppe / Степь (bilingual)

Steppe / Степь (bilingual)

This is the work that made Chekhov, launching his career as a writer and playwright of national and international renown. Retranslated and updated, this new bilingual edition is a super way to improve your Russian.

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