Schools in Tver region now raise flags and play Russian anthem at start of school week

Students at 89 schools in the Tver region began a new week by raising the flag and singing the national anthem of Russia, the regional government reports on its official VKontakte page.

From now on students will start every school week in this manner. Footage published by the government shows teenagers in uniform raising the Russian flag in the square near the school.

«The initiative to introduce a weekly tradition was approved by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Today the patriotic event was held for the first time in the region's 89 schools, including the Alexander Atroshchanok Education Center in Tver,» the report says.

Earlier, Putin supported the idea of raising the flag and playing the anthem in schools at the beginning of every school week. The idea was proposed by Education Minister Sergei Kravtsov.

Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, various patriotic history lessons have been held in Russian schools. On February 28, teachers received teaching aids which justified the need for a «military operation» against the «fascist state.» The lesson materials offered ready-made answers to schoolchildren's questions in a propagandistic manner. Maria Zakharova, official spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has been busy training teachers. Teachers are required to explain to their students that Russia is saving Ukraine from genocide and that the videos showing dead civilians should not be trusted. One of the key documents for such lessons is Putin's anti-Ukrainian speech, in which he justified the Russian aggression by the need to «de-nazify» Ukraine and free its people from the »neo-Nazis.»

The Insider has reported on how such lessons are conducted and spoke with teachers about the pressure, teachers' ethics, and how children react to what's going on.