Russian censorship would begin to infiltrate even new textbooks, explains Mediazona , an independent Russian media.
The opposition news site, considered a ” foreign agent ” by the Kremlin, said on Thursday that the latest edition of the fourth-grade textbook ” The World Around Us ” had removed references to Kyiv.
Mentions of the Ukrainian capital have been removed from sections devoted to the history of Kievan Rus’, a state that spanned present-day Belarus, Ukraine and Russia.IKLAN
Compared to the 2021 editions, the new manuals have many changed sections, says Mediazona.
The old edition stated that the chronicle “ The Tale of the Bygogne Years ” was written by Nestor, a monk from Kyiv Caves Lavra, an Orthodox monastery. In the new version, Nestor is simply mentioned as a monk without indicating the place where he lived and worked.
Other subtle changes have been made in the new edition. The old says Prince Vladimir baptized the people of Kyiv while the new says it happened ” in the capital “. The same goes for Prince Igor: the old edition says he ” began to reign in Kyiv “, while the new one says he ” began to reign over Russia “.
Employees of the Prosveshchenie (Enlightenment) publishing house told Mediazona that they were asked to remove ” inappropriate ” references to Ukraine and Kyiv from all school textbooks.
We are on a mission to make people believe that Ukraine simply does not exist
Editor of the Prosveshchenie publishing house
” We are on a mission to make people believe that Ukraine simply does not exist ,” a Prosveshchenie employee told Mediazona.
” It is extremely problematic that a textbook contains no information about a country. A child grows up without knowing anything about this country, it would be much easier for him to believe the television “.
” Unified ” textbooks for next year
These new manuals have just been printed and are not yet on sale. But Mediazona’s source in Prosveshchenie says the books will be distributed to schools by the end of spring for use from the next school year.
“ If possible, it is better not to mention Ukraine at all. Today, textbooks mention Kyiv mainly in the context of Kievan Rus’ and the liberation of the city during World War II. “, said a writer to Mediazona.
” We are free to describe how the Soviet army saved Kyiv, but talking about an independent Ukraine is out of the question .”
Sergei Kravtsov, Russian Minister of Education, already announced in December 2022 that there would be ” unified textbooks on the history of Russia and on world history ” which would take into account the ” historical events that have had place this year “.
” This is the start of a special military operation, the entry into the Russian Federation of the people’s republics of Donetsk and Luhansk, the Zaporizhia and Kherson regions, and unprecedented pressure in terms of These facts will of course be reflected in the new textbooks ,” the minister said.
Russian authorities say they are also preparing educational materials that would ” clarify Kyiv’s role ” in Russian history. This material should be delivered to schools for the next school year.
Source: Euronews