{
  "id": 18517193,
  "title": "The Indoctrination Epidemic",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/06/the-indoctrination-epidemic",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-11-06T15:18:29.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Riddle Russia",
    "slug": "riddle-russia",
    "url": "https://ridl.io/the-indoctrination-epidemic/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Andrei Loginov, president of the Russian State University for the Humanities and a member of the Russian Historical Society, has suggested implementing brief history courses for government workers and employees of pro-government media. This proposal was supported by the chairman of the Russian Historical Society, Sergei Naryshkin, and Foreign Intelligence Service director. It aligns with the ongoing broad campaign of indoctrination by the political faction led by Sergei Kiriyenko. Since 2022, all Russian first-year students have been required to complete this ideological-patriotic education, passing tests in a subject called \"Foundations of Russian Statehood.\" This course was created under the direction of Andrei Polosin, a close ally of Kiriyenko, political technologist, and former senior executive at Rosatom who now serves as a vice-rector at RANEPA. Students are taught that Russia is a \"civilization-state\" and that collectivism is a defining characteristic of its citizens. While older generations have so far been excluded from this campaign, Kiriyenko's team has already begun developing abbreviated versions of FRS for employees of state-run corporations and large businesses loyal to the authorities. Starting from 2027, Russian universities will also introduce a common socio-humanitarian core curriculum for all students, consisting of courses on Russian history, the foundations of Russian statehood, philosophy, and the Russian language. RIO officials are now proposing to extend this ideological history lesson beyond universities. Vladimir Putin, who has long shown interest in history—or more precisely, its \"ultra-patriotic\" interpretation—is expected to support the initiative. The political group, in turn, will likely adopt its implementation if provided with appropriate guidance. Other individuals within the power structure may also advance similar proposals, including officials and potential ideologues, such as the Kovalchuk brothers and film director Nikita Mikhalkov. As long as Vladimir Putin remains in power, the system of ideological control over state-dependent social groups is expected to expand further. The \"social architects\" will involve such citizens in quasi-referenda, community clean-up initiatives, and personnel competitions; the \"mobilizers\" will monitor their participation in elections; and the \"propagandists\" will steadily expand their audiences at their expense. Currently, authorities are only testing the extension of indoctrination courses to the adult population. However, the overarching trend is evident: their audience will continue to grow. Participation in these programs may become obligatory in name only, such as through enrollment being linked to career advancement opportunities. A similar pattern is already evident in the mobilization of employees for election participation and the organization of ostensibly voluntary fundraising campaigns for war efforts in Ukraine. Adult education courses would facilitate the creation of a system of \"social ratings\" similar to that of the People's Republic of China, where citizens could be ranked based on their enrollment in \"patriotic courses\" and their performance, subsequently rewarded or restricted accordingly. At the same time, for Putin and certain members of his inner circle, the ideological aspect of indoctrination is given priority. For the nominal \"technocrats\"—such as Kiriyenko or Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin—the primary objective may be the establishment of a control system. In this light, the most crucial task is to develop the infrastructure for widespread education and assessment of citizens. Its ideological content could be revised or replaced entirely with another program if necessary, depending on political changes or shifting priorities. The proposal for higher education aimed at military personnel in Ukraine, proposed by President Vladimir Putin on Thursday, was initially limited to military personnel with a university degree. However, after Putin's announcement, an article about expanding the program to include those without a degree was removed from the newspaper's website. It appears that Putin intended to present this program as his sole initiative. The \"Time of Heroes\" personnel competition, initially open only to military personnel with higher education, is now set to include those without a university diploma. The RANEPA rector assured that those who pass the selection process will be enrolled in the academy's bachelor's programs, where they will study for three years. This indicates that the Kremlin's political faction anticipates continued funding for the \"Time of Heroes\" program in the future. Nevertheless, the three-year budget plan approved by the government and parliament provides funding only until 2027. The new model of education—essentially, obtaining a first-degree or, for some participants, a second diploma—will entail significantly higher expenditures. Expanding the program's reach may attract individuals who were previously ineligible for the \"Time of Heroes\" competition: those without a higher education. This could encourage some prospective applicants to consider military service under contract. Thus, the political faction within the presidential administration is contributing to efforts to address the issue of contract recruitment.",
  "summary": "Andrey Pertsev sums up the political week (2−6 November)",
  "key_points": [
    "Russian government proposes brief history courses for pro-government workers",
    "All Russian first-year students required to complete ideological-patriotic education since 2022",
    "System of ideological control over state-dependent social groups expected to expand further"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}