POLITICS
‘The DNA of Russia’:
Ideology and Patriotic Education in Wartime Russia
October 30, 2024
-
Dr. Dima Kortukov
Assistant professor of political science at the University of Alabama
-
Dr. Julian G. Waller
Research analyst at the Center for Naval Analyses (CNA Corporation) and professorial lecturer in political science at George Washington University.
Political scientists Dima Kortukov and Julian Waller examine one of the latest instruments for indoctrinating of Russian youth: the videos accompanying a new, mandatory college course on Russian history.
Russia’s Constitution says the country has no official ideology. Since the early 2010s, however, the Putin regime has de facto embraced a multifaceted ideology, characterized by a medley of anti-Westernism, illiberalism, social traditionalism, cultural conservatism and national-civilizationism. This ideological mélange, often described as Russian illiberalism, has developed over the years and is increasingly prevalent in elite rhetoric, educational policy, legislation on morals and culture, and state-supported media content.
After the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, internal debates over Russia’s ideology grew more strident, with regime officials taking concrete steps to formalize patriotic ideology through educational institutions. Making sense of this evolving ideological landscape in all of its manifestations is critical to understanding the broader ideational ecosystem in contemporary Russia, as well as its relation to the wartime regime.
The Kremlin introduces a new college course
An interesting example of ideological crystallization in wartime Russia, which we have explored in detail elsewhere, is a new university class that presents Russian history from a civilizational perspective and looks at the internal and external challenges facing Russian statehood. It has been mandatory for all Russian university students since 2023. The curriculum for this 72-hour course, called the “Foundations of Russian Statehood,” was developed by the Russian Presidential Administration.
After the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, internal debates over Russia’s ideology grew more strident, with regime officials taking concrete steps to formalize patriotic ideology through educational institutions. Making sense of this evolving ideological landscape in all of its manifestations is critical to understanding the broader ideational ecosystem in contemporary Russia, as well as its relation to the wartime regime.
The Kremlin introduces a new college course
An interesting example of ideological crystallization in wartime Russia, which we have explored in detail elsewhere, is a new university class that presents Russian history from a civilizational perspective and looks at the internal and external challenges facing Russian statehood. It has been mandatory for all Russian university students since 2023. The curriculum for this 72-hour course, called the “Foundations of Russian Statehood,” was developed by the Russian Presidential Administration.
From the video "Russia as civilization state": "[Sobornost'] is unity not of a crowd, but of individuals connected by a common spiritual idea... It is a term that has no analogs in other languages, since such a quality is not manifested by citizens of other countries."
The course includes sections on Russian civilization and its values, challenges and paths for future development. Today, it is taught by several thousand lecturers to all freshmen in Russia’s universities. A series of videos titled The DNA of Russia were created to accompany the course. They provide a good illustration of both the key ideas of the course and the central themes of Russia’s illiberal wartime ideology.
The official description of The DNA of Russia says the patriotic videos aim at combating the falsification of history and popularizing Russia’s cultural heritage and traditional values. Andrei Polosin, a political analyst (polittekhnolog) close to Sergei Kiriyenko, a first deputy chief of staff of the Presidential Administration, supervised the production of The DNA of Russia. As of October 2024, 79 videos are available online, each lasting about 26 minutes. They are divided thematically into several groups, generally corresponding to the content of the Foundations course.
One group of videos focuses on events and personalities from Russian history, featuring inventors, philosophers, writers, statesmen and the like. Another covers Russia’s regions, with videos dedicated to Moscow, Siberia, Ural, the Volga region and so on. A third highlights political institutions and the branches of power in Russia, discussing the Duma, the Constitution, the courts and more. A fourth group looks at global issues, such as pollution, freshwater shortages and the rise of artificial intelligence.
There are also videos on the major religions in Russia: Judaism, Christianity, Islam and Buddhism. Perhaps the most intriguing thematic group covers ideological topics: “the Russian world” (Russkiy mir), Russian identity, myths and symbols of Russia, the “civilization state” and Russian cosmism.
The official description of The DNA of Russia says the patriotic videos aim at combating the falsification of history and popularizing Russia’s cultural heritage and traditional values. Andrei Polosin, a political analyst (polittekhnolog) close to Sergei Kiriyenko, a first deputy chief of staff of the Presidential Administration, supervised the production of The DNA of Russia. As of October 2024, 79 videos are available online, each lasting about 26 minutes. They are divided thematically into several groups, generally corresponding to the content of the Foundations course.
One group of videos focuses on events and personalities from Russian history, featuring inventors, philosophers, writers, statesmen and the like. Another covers Russia’s regions, with videos dedicated to Moscow, Siberia, Ural, the Volga region and so on. A third highlights political institutions and the branches of power in Russia, discussing the Duma, the Constitution, the courts and more. A fourth group looks at global issues, such as pollution, freshwater shortages and the rise of artificial intelligence.
There are also videos on the major religions in Russia: Judaism, Christianity, Islam and Buddhism. Perhaps the most intriguing thematic group covers ideological topics: “the Russian world” (Russkiy mir), Russian identity, myths and symbols of Russia, the “civilization state” and Russian cosmism.
“Lastly, there are videos detailing Russia’s enemies and challenges: the struggle against Nazism, the history of European Russophobia and ‘cancel culture as а mechanism of struggle against Russia’.”
From the video "Myths about Russia": "The Russophobic discourse about a barbaric, demonic Russian threat has gained traction every time Russia has begun to make progress in the international arena as a strong and independent actor."
“The Russian world is more than a thousand years of history, great culture, rich language, unique traditions and customs,” begins one video on the Russkiy mir concept. According to the narrator, the “Russian world” is not delineated by contemporary Russia’s borders. Following the Soviet collapse, millions of Russians involuntarily became citizens of other states, where they have since been victims of discrimination and persecution. State-sponsored Russophobia is said to be rampant in Western Europe as well. Russia, however, is committed to defending compatriots everywhere and preserving Russian culture globally.
What The DNA of Russia has to say about Ukraine
This video then highlights the alleged discrimination of Russians in Ukraine. These processes, the narrative goes, intensified after the Euromaidan, described as an illegal seizure of power by Nazis with Western backing. In response, Crimeans decided to rejoin Russia in 2014.
The Russophobe activities of the new Ukrainian government soon sparked mass resistance, leading to civil war in the Donbas. For eight years, Russia did everything possible to resolve the conflict peacefully, but come 2022 it had no choice but to launch a “special military operation” to protect the people who had been subjected to harassment and genocide by the Kyiv regime and defend the “Russian world.”
The video on the civilization state presents Russia as the “guardian of the global balance,” endowed with a special historical role. The narrative draws heavily on Lev Gumilev’s work, especially his concept of “passionarity.” “Each ethnic group has a unique system of values and aspirations incomprehensible to others,” the narrator says, the world “heterogeneous and divided into many civilizations.”
Seven such civilizations are presented: Western, Orthodox, Far Eastern, Hindu, Arab, Iranian and Chinese – a somewhat abridged version of Huntington’s list of major civilizations. It is argued that the West has always been hostile to Russia, with European culture reproducing “Russophobic” stereotypes. Lastly, it is suggested that the Russian civilization state should not imitate other countries’ political systems. “Russia is... an integrational empire... [that] has the ability to develop and improve incorporated territories.”
The video on cancel culture defines this phenomenon as a “form of boycott when an objectionable (neugodnyy) person, social movement or state... are censured for their actions or statements.” Among the historical precedents of contemporary cancel culture are said to be the book burnings in Nazi Germany. The West, the voice-over explains, has attempted for centuries to weaken and destroy Russia, employing tactics such as diplomatic isolation and the falsification of history. Contemporary cancel culture is a continuation of this process by other means.
The cited examples include canceling concerts by the conductor Valery Gergiev and banning Russian teams from participating in the Olympic Games, along with many other instances concerning Russian culture, literature, language and sports. However, the video concludes, it is impossible to “cancel” Russia. Despite the machinations of Western politicians, ordinary people will continue to appreciate the works of Pushkin, Tchaikovsky and Dostoevsky.
Overall, The DNA of Russia presents the core themes of ideological education in today’s Russia, such as World War II as the central event in Russian history, a plethora of grievances against the West and the emphasis on Russia’s role as the defender of Russians abroad, especially in the former Soviet republics.
What The DNA of Russia has to say about Ukraine
This video then highlights the alleged discrimination of Russians in Ukraine. These processes, the narrative goes, intensified after the Euromaidan, described as an illegal seizure of power by Nazis with Western backing. In response, Crimeans decided to rejoin Russia in 2014.
The Russophobe activities of the new Ukrainian government soon sparked mass resistance, leading to civil war in the Donbas. For eight years, Russia did everything possible to resolve the conflict peacefully, but come 2022 it had no choice but to launch a “special military operation” to protect the people who had been subjected to harassment and genocide by the Kyiv regime and defend the “Russian world.”
The video on the civilization state presents Russia as the “guardian of the global balance,” endowed with a special historical role. The narrative draws heavily on Lev Gumilev’s work, especially his concept of “passionarity.” “Each ethnic group has a unique system of values and aspirations incomprehensible to others,” the narrator says, the world “heterogeneous and divided into many civilizations.”
Seven such civilizations are presented: Western, Orthodox, Far Eastern, Hindu, Arab, Iranian and Chinese – a somewhat abridged version of Huntington’s list of major civilizations. It is argued that the West has always been hostile to Russia, with European culture reproducing “Russophobic” stereotypes. Lastly, it is suggested that the Russian civilization state should not imitate other countries’ political systems. “Russia is... an integrational empire... [that] has the ability to develop and improve incorporated territories.”
The video on cancel culture defines this phenomenon as a “form of boycott when an objectionable (neugodnyy) person, social movement or state... are censured for their actions or statements.” Among the historical precedents of contemporary cancel culture are said to be the book burnings in Nazi Germany. The West, the voice-over explains, has attempted for centuries to weaken and destroy Russia, employing tactics such as diplomatic isolation and the falsification of history. Contemporary cancel culture is a continuation of this process by other means.
The cited examples include canceling concerts by the conductor Valery Gergiev and banning Russian teams from participating in the Olympic Games, along with many other instances concerning Russian culture, literature, language and sports. However, the video concludes, it is impossible to “cancel” Russia. Despite the machinations of Western politicians, ordinary people will continue to appreciate the works of Pushkin, Tchaikovsky and Dostoevsky.
Overall, The DNA of Russia presents the core themes of ideological education in today’s Russia, such as World War II as the central event in Russian history, a plethora of grievances against the West and the emphasis on Russia’s role as the defender of Russians abroad, especially in the former Soviet republics.
“Furthermore, these videos serve one of the key goals of patriotic education: creating a positive historical vision that incorporates different regimes and epochs into a single narrative to give Russians a reason to be proud of Russia’s current global stature and its historical legacies.”
The Ukraine war has further intensified the consolidation of the illiberal and national-patriotic approach to historical memory in Russia. The Foundations course, with its multimedia components, is an important element of this trend and a crucial part of the Kremlin’s wartime attempts to promote an official ideology through the education system.
Aimed at creating and propagating a pro-regime narrative of history, national identity and self-perception for Russians today, this course represents a new stage in the development of a state-led ideology. The unique circumstances of the war in Ukraine, coupled with the long-running efforts to prepare and build out such a narrative, mean that this stage of ideological formation may have an important medium- and long-term impact.
Aimed at creating and propagating a pro-regime narrative of history, national identity and self-perception for Russians today, this course represents a new stage in the development of a state-led ideology. The unique circumstances of the war in Ukraine, coupled with the long-running efforts to prepare and build out such a narrative, mean that this stage of ideological formation may have an important medium- and long-term impact.
Share this article
Read More
