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Russian textbooks praising President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine are an attempt to encourage “self-sacrifice” among schoolchildren, experts have warned. In September, Russia rolled out new history textbooks to schools that claim Ukraine is an “ultranationalist state” being used as a “battering ram” by the United States to “destroy Russia”. One chapter claims Ukrainian membership of NATO could have led to a catastrophic war and “possibly the end of civilisation” that Russia had to prevent. Jaroslava Barbieri, academic and author of dozens of articles on Russian affairs, said the textbooks and lessons instructing children on how to use drones were all part of a wider plan. “Patriotic education is nothing new,” Ms Barbieri, doctoral researcher at the University of Birmingham, told The Independent. “But it has acquired new momentum under Putin. It is an attempt to indoctrinate the next generation, by equating patriotism to self-sacrifice.” The textbook, which devotes 28 pages to Russia’s war in Ukraine, is also intended to convince children Russia has “always been surrounded by enemies,” Ms Barbieri said. “It is about militarising the youth, making them believe they have always been surrounded by constant enemies and that they should serve the needs of the state,” she said. In July, the Russian Defence Ministry approved plans for new lessons instructing schoolchildren on how to operate combat drones, assault rifles and hand grenades. Deputy Minister of Defence Ruslan Tsalikov said the programme will include basic operating information and methods to counter enemy weapons, including UAVs. Ms Barbieri said this was evidence the Kremlin had recognised the changing nature of warfare and Ukraine’s extensive use of commercial drones – as well as contributing to a militarised society. Katie Stallard, Global Fellow at the Wilson Center think tank, said Putin has always been obsessed by history and the textbooks reflect his desire to have a firmer grip on Russia’s historical narratives. “Mr Putin has poured government money into patriotic education and other so-called patriotic initiatives during his two decades in power,” she told the Independent. “It has long been clear he was not just seeking to promote a glorious, idealised version of the Russian past, but to limit challenges to the official narratives so he can consolidate power.” Between 2016 and 2020, Russia’s federal budget allocated about £18.5m to military-patriotic education, research shows. The implementation of military-patriotic education is guided by the military, schools and clubs, research suggests. “Control of the past has become a political priority as Mr Putin attempts to consolidate power in the present, particularly since his full-scale invasion of Ukraine,” Ms Stallard added. But so far, the Kremlin’s indoctrination tactics have not led to “queues of would-be soldiers lining up outside recruitment offices”, Ms Stallard said. “In fact, the opposite has happened, with the authorities tightening controls to make it harder for citizens to avoid military service,” she added. “There is little evidence that this will make much difference to the Russian war effort in the short term by generating an outpouring of public support.” In February 2022, an estimated 300,000 people fled Russia when its military invaded Ukraine. This number increased to about 700,000 by the end of the year, some estimates suggest. “Tighter education doesn’t mean Mr Putin will succeed and people will unquestionably believe what they read in their school history books. “The Soviet approach did not succeed either. It was a population skilled in understanding the correct sentiments to voice in public, while voicing their dissatisfaction in private,” Ms Stallard said. Read More Russian students are returning to school, where they face new lessons to boost their patriotism The Ukraine war, propaganda-style, is coming to Russian movie screens. Will people watch? Kremlin rushes out schoolbook praising Putin’s Ukraine invasion

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Donald Trump immediately started to fundraise off his fresh indictment on seven counts in the federal probe into his handling of classified information. Mr Trump is set to appear in court on Tuesday at a federal courthouse in Miami. If convicted, he could face a sentence of more than a century in prison. “This is nothing but a disgusting act of Election Interference by the ruling party to ELIMINATE its opposition and amass total control over our country,” Mr Trump wrote in a message to supporters. “The Deep State thought they had destroyed our campaign when a Soros-backed prosecutor indicted and even ARRESTED me earlier this year,” Mr Trump added in reference to his arraignment in the New York hush-money case involving adult actor Stormy Daniels. “But then, we SHOCKED them as our campaign grew even stronger... We broke fundraising records. 3 independent polls showed us beating Joe Biden by 7 POINTS. In fact, polls show I’m the ONLY Republican who can beat Crooked Joe,” he added. “So, after a state prosecutor failed to break us, the Deep State sharpened their attacks and unleashed a FEDERAL prosecutor to TRY and take us down.” “But let me be as clear as possible: No matter how viciously they attack me, I will NEVER, EVER SURRENDER our country to the radical Left and I will NEVER end this presidential campaign that puts YOU first,” he said. The 45th president has now been indicted for the second time in less than three months. The new charges stem from his alleged illegal retention of national security information. It was Mr Trump himself who initially shared the news that he had been indicted again. He did so in several posts on his social media platform Truth Social the day after it was reported that federal prosecutors had planned to ask a grand jury to indict Mr Trump. “The corrupt Biden Administration has informed my attorneys that I have been Indicted, seemingly over the Boxes Hoax,” Mr Trump wrote. “I never thought it possible that such a thing could happen to a former President of the United States, who received far more votes than any sitting President in the History of our Country, and is currently leading, by far, all Candidates, both Democrat and Republican, in Polls of the 2024 Presidential Election,” he claimed, calling himself “an innocent man”. “This is indeed a DARK DAY for the United States of America. We are a Country in serious and rapid Decline, but together we will Make America Great Again!” he wrote. The seven-count indictment reportedly includes one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice, one count of making false statements, and at least one count of unlawful retention of national defence information. Trump attorney James Trusty appeared on CNN on Thursday saying that one count in the indictment concerns a violation of Section 1512 of the US criminal code, which refers to witness tampering. The charges against Mr Trump come a few days after his legal team met with Justice Department officials as they failed to convince the authorities not to indict their client. The investigation began last year when the National Archives and Records Administration found more than 100 documents marked classified while going through 15 boxes taken from Mar-a-Lago, Mr Trump’s Palm Beach, Florida residence.

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