Putin’s Propaganda Machine in Russian Classrooms (A Russian Language Exclusive)

Putin’s Propaganda Machine in Russian Classrooms (A Russian Language Exclusive)

From Russian Roulette by CSIS | Center for Strategic and International Studies

August 28, 2026 · 51 min

About this episode

Pavel Talankin discusses his documentary on the impact of propaganda in Russian classrooms amidst the war.

Maria Snegovaya sits down with Pavel Talankin –– a Russian schoolteacher who became an unlikely lens into the Russian propaganda machine. His documentary, Mr. Nobody Against Putin, captured two years of footage from inside a provincial Russian classroom as Putin's war transformed his students into instruments of the state. The film won the 2026 Oscar for Best Documentary. Talankin joins Russian Roulette's first episode recorded in Russian to discuss his inspiration, experience making the film, and what his story reveals about the depths of propaganda in Russia's education system today.  NOTE: This episode is in Russian. An English version of the audio (created using AI dubbing software and reviewed by native speakers) is available in the Russian Roulette podcast feed.  Mentioned:  Mr. Nobody Against Putin | Documentary film directed by David Borenstein and Pavel Talankin  Feedback? Suggestions? Ideas to help us improve? Email us at erep@csis.org.  If you love Russian Roulette, let us know by subscribing and leaving a review wherever you get your podcasts.   Listen to our sister podcast, covering all things Europe through a Washington lens: CSIS…

People in this episode

Host: Maria Snegovaya

Guest: Pavel Talankin

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: CSIS | Center for Strategic and International Studies

Books & works: Mr. Nobody Against Putin

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