On Wednesday, Russia’s Minister of Education accused other former Soviet republics of offering what Moscow considers a skewed and excessively negative representation of the Soviet Union and Russia in their educational materials.
These remarks come as the Kremlin seeks to reclaim its influence over historical narratives in neighboring states, a move prompted by deteriorating relations following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
During a session in the lower house of the State Duma, Education Minister Sergei Kravtsov argued that the history curricula in countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) are marked by “inconsistencies” that stray from the ideals of objectivity and historical accuracy.
Kravtsov highlighted that portrayals of the Soviet period predominantly cast Russia in a negative light.
A recent analysis by the Russian Academy of Sciences on history textbooks from 11 nations, including former Soviet states and some Middle Eastern countries, revealed that these materials often depict Russia as a colonial power and an aggressor acting solely in its own interests.
On Sunday, President Vladimir Putin expressed concern over what he termed a fragmentation in educational unity following the Soviet Union’s collapse.
“When I looked through some of these textbooks, I was taken aback by the presence of information that was far from accurate…including overt manifestations of Russophobia and alterations of historical facts,” he remarked.
In response to the Ukraine invasion, the Russian government has issued a new high school history textbook that aligns with the Kremlin’s narrative on recent events.
This textbook characterizes the 1990s as a time of decline, refers to the annexation of Crimea and parts of eastern Ukraine as a “reunification of historical lands,” and includes Putin’s well-known statement that the disintegration of the USSR was “the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the 20th century.”
The CIS is made up of Russia, Moldova, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, and Tajikistan.
Ukraine withdrew from the CIS after Crimea’s annexation by Russia in 2014.
