Fourth graders in Krasnodar spend class time lecturing each other about Putin's re-election

Fourth graders at a school in Gelendzhik had a very special “five-minute information session” on January 15, when students reportedly stood up before their classmates and told each other about the nationwide effort to collect signatures endorsing Vladimir Putin’s re-election campaign. The information first appeared on the school’s own website, but it later disappeared after the website Yuga.ru drew attention to the story.

In September 2017, education officials in the Krasnodar region required all local schools to conduct weekly “five-minute information sessions,” where students are expected to discuss current events. The “information sessions” are required for all students, from first to 11th grade, and fall into the following themes: “Glory to Russia,” “The Story Says,” “News of the Week,” and “We Live in the Kuban.” Students must prepare “information presentations” for their classes with the help of teachers. Parents in Krasnodar have told reporters that their children are sometimes instructed to watch news broadcasts on state television and describe the reports in class.

In Soviet schools, students had lessons in “political information,” where they discussed political news reported on state television and in state newspapers.

Isn't this illegal? 🤷‍♂️🤷‍♀️

Well, it's true that Russian education laws prohibit teachers from conducting political propaganda in the classroom or imposing any political views on students.