From September 1, a textbook with a section on the war in Ukraine may appear in Russia.

A new history textbook with a section on the Russian military invasion of Ukraine may appear in schools from September 1, 2023, said the head of the Ministry of Education, Sergei Kravtsov.

According to him, a textbook for high school is being developed and will likely be sent to schools next year. Kravtsov noted that the section about the goals and objectives of the “special military operation” is already prescribed in the school history course. In the new textbook, the causes of the war, according to the position of the Russian authorities, will be outlined in more detail.

In December, Sergei Kravtsov said that the working group to develop a new textbook would be headed by presidential aide and ex-Minister of Culture Vladimir Medinsky.

Secretary of the General Council of United Russia and Vice-Speaker of the Federation Council Andrei Turchak previously said that Russia would publish a “correct history textbook” that would contain chapters about the war in Ukraine. Turchak did not explain what exactly the chapters on the war would be about, mentioning only the “exploits” of the Russian military. Representatives of the Russian Military Historical Society said that in the new textbook “students will be presented with the heroic exploits of our ancestors, starting from Ancient Rus' and up to a special military operation.”

On December 7, 2022, Vladimir Putin said that the appearance of new school textbooks on history and social studies is “a matter of national importance.”

The Russian military invasion of Ukraine began on February 24, 2022. The Russian authorities call the aggression against Ukraine a “special military operation.” The Ukrainian authorities and international observers have repeatedly stated about massive war crimes by the Russian military in Bucha, Irpen, Izyum, Kherson and the Kharkov region. The Russian side denies these accusations. In addition, Russian shelling of critical infrastructure in Ukraine, as a result of which civilians suffer, is considered a war crime. The Russian Foreign Ministry explained the shelling of civilian targets by saying that they “help kill Russians.”