January 21, 2025

The Politics of the Class of 2025


The Politics of the Class of 2025
Class dismissed. The Russian Life files

In 2025, a new group of students will graduate from high school. Kholod spoke with a queer student of the class of 2025 to reflect on her upbringing in a Russia characterized by its crackdown on dissent and what the future looks like for teenaged Russians.

Daria, whose name was changed for this story, said she remembers when the famous dissident Alexey Navalny was arrested – she was in seventh grade. Fellow students in her Moscow school debated: some protested his arrest, others defended it. But, Daria thought, "[when] I become an adult, I'll think about it." In her mind, as long as she didn't pay taxes, she had no business getting involved in politics. In Daria's household, the television was only used to watch downloaded movies, never for news. Her family was not connected to politics. Her dad worked in the auto industry and her mom was a stay-at-home parent.

In 2022, the now-17-year-old was confronted with "collective shame, shame for my country, and anxiety for its future and mine." Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine horrified her to the point where she doesn't even remember February and March of 2022. "I needed to know who was right and who was wrong," she said. She quickly understood that Russia was responsible for the war.

Daria met Ukrainians and like-minded queer and anti-war Russians through online groups. She said that she, her friends, and other dissenting Russians have created their own "bubble," where they can talk about the war in Ukraine. But, as soon as she leaves her community, she said she sees a different picture: "I see how teenagers are sometimes supporting violent things, they have conservative views."

In school, Daria's classmates support Putin and are fascinated by the war. Younger students play pretend soldiers. Daria said the boys in her class voluntarily shaved their heads to be ready to join the army when they graduate from high school in the spring.

Her classmates' rhetoric infiltrated her own home. Daria recalled how her brother showed her a TikTok and tried to convince her that in Ukraine there are "evil and terrifying khokhols [a slur for Ukrainians] that needed to be killed." Then, he said that the full-scale invasion was a war to "defend Donbas." Her whole family intervened to convince Daria's brother that he was watching harmful propaganda.

Pro-war views are not just popular among male teens. Daria recalled how a friend with whom she had an interesting discussion about queer literature later posted that she would be attending a concert by the pro-war singer Shaman. Daria doesn't understand how some queer people joined the pro-war side. "How does it all fit in her head?" she asked.

Daria has struggled academically and emotionally since 2022. She stopped studying and started cutting class. She stopped going to her favorite after-school activities. She was even showering less frequently. She struggles to complete household tasks. The Muscovite teen wants to study abroad, but her mental state is impeding the completion of her applications. She believes that she may have depression, but is scared to go to a psychiatrist. She blames the war for her mental health problems.

"Adults expect us to continue to work as usual, studying and preparing for the Unified State Exam," Daria told Kholod. Her parents advised her to focus on her own life. Yet, in school, she must attend "Conversations about Important Things," a class where teachers often bring "war heroes" who fought in Ukraine. "Conversations about Important Things" is tough to skip, as attendance is monitored more than in regular school. Teachers ensure students will pay attention by taking away their cell phones. 

The war has also affected Daria's ability to build a future in Russia as an LGBT person. She can't date openly because of her sexual orientation. She also won't be able to have a family. Daria is even scared of buying an apartment. Therefore, she said, her only option is to leave the country.

Daria considers herself lucky. Her parents have supported her decision to leave Russia. She can discuss politics openly with them. She discusses fictional characters in online chatrooms to distract herself. She has also started writing poems about the war, which she hopes to publish someday. Yet Daria worries for the future of other LGBT kids. According to the teen, when the next generation of queer kids looks for information and affirmation "they will find that it is abnormal, unhealthy, and they will no longer see any representation in Russia."

You Might Also Like

Orthodox Church Rising
  • January 14, 2025

Orthodox Church Rising

The power of the ROC is growing in the government, according to independent publication Verstka.
A Pro-War Childhood?
  • October 31, 2024

A Pro-War Childhood?

Russian children are being instilled with militant patriotism through plays, stories, cartoons, and toys.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

The Samovar Murders

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.
The Little Golden Calf

The Little Golden Calf

Our edition of The Little Golden Calf, one of the greatest Russian satires ever, is the first new translation of this classic novel in nearly fifty years. It is also the first unabridged, uncensored English translation ever, and is 100% true to the original 1931 serial publication in the Russian journal 30 Dnei. Anne O. Fisher’s translation is copiously annotated, and includes an introduction by Alexandra Ilf, the daughter of one of the book’s two co-authors.
The Moscow Eccentric

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.
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. 
Tolstoy Bilingual

Tolstoy Bilingual

This compact, yet surprisingly broad look at the life and work of Tolstoy spans from one of his earliest stories to one of his last, looking at works that made him famous and others that made him notorious. 
Moscow and Muscovites

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. 
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.
Driving Down Russia's Spine

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. 
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.
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.
Murder and the Muse

Murder and the Muse

KGB Chief Andropov has tapped Matyushkin to solve a brazen jewel heist from Picasso’s wife at the posh Metropole Hotel. But when the case bleeds over into murder, machinations, and international intrigue, not everyone is eager to see where the clues might lead.

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