Designing the "Good Russian Patriot": Indoctrination, Education, and Youth in Russia

Abstract

A priority of the Russian state is to foster feelings of patriotism among its youth. Patriotism in this sense often entails not only inculcating a feeling of pride in the state, but also nurturing a love for the motherland so deep that a child would sacrifice themselves for it. More often than not, this sacrifice is often viewed within the context of war. Youth are indoctrinated across multiple domains: via formal education, popular culture, the physical landscape, media, and youth patriotic groups. This piece examines the youth indoctrination strategies of the state, centering the discussion on the-military youth patriotic group Yunarmiya. This includes examining the group's objectives and the ways in which the concept of a "good patriot" is folded into the group's everyday activities and presented to Russia's broader youth population as a desirable attribute. It finds that youth indoctrination continues to be a policy of the Putin regime and that the youth groups are vital to the state's efforts, as they not only allow the state to shape youth consciousness, but also enable youth to shape the minds of their peers.