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Taking part in the discussion were the editors-in-chief of the books to be used for the History of Russia and World History courses: Presidential Aide Vladimir Medinsky, MGIMO University Rector Anatoly Torkunov, Academic Director at the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute of World History Alexander Chubaryan, and Minister of Education Sergei Kravtsov.

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President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Colleagues, friends.

We gather today on June 22 – a date marking 84 years since Nazi Germany’s treacherous attack on our country, the day the Great Patriotic War began. Let me emphasise: without exaggeration, at the core of our victory over Nazi Germany lay our traditional values and faith in the Fatherland, sustaining the morale and resilience of our people.

That faith was fostered through various channels, including school and church, and our traditional religions. Moreover – you know this better than anyone else – we have often heard since, even from the enemy, that the victory was achieved, or rather, the foundations of that victory were laid in school.

Unfortunately, the 1990s saw a disruption in the continuity of history, as well as a loss of consistency in school curricula. Dozens of history textbooks emerged, offering diametrically opposed interpretations of past events, creating confusion rather than clarity. Let us be clear: we fully support pluralism and contrasting viewpoints. But debate must rest on a shared foundation of basic historical facts – a framework that was lost during this period.

Moreover, when I reviewed some of those textbooks, I was stunned at what I saw. They contained anything but truthful information about past events such as the Great Patriotic War. I could not believe the description of the Battle of Stalingrad in one of them, without any exaggeration. Despite its lengthy interpretations, the book omitted a crucial fact: it was the Soviet Union that broke the backbone of Nazism, paying an enormous sacrifice on the altar of victory. To this day, the full toll remains uncounted – at least 27 million lives. However, what these books did include was outright Russophobia and, I repeat, a distortion of historical facts.

This comes as no surprise, given that foreign grants funded the development and publication of many such textbooks and learning aids. The situation bears resemblance to 1920s ideological campaigns, when entire chapters of Russia’s pre-revolutionary history were either erased as if they never existed or distorted into some mirror-world alternative. Although it is a fact that over the course of 1,000 years, Russians and other ethnic groups of the Russian Empire, the Moscow Tsardom and later the Russian Empire, forged a unified state.

In 2013, a concept for teaching Russian history was adopted, to guide instruction from year five and up, to colleges, vocational schools, and so on. This represented critically important work in preserving our national memory and ensuring continuity between generations. I would like to thank you, your entire team, and all colleagues who have contributed to this vital endeavour.

Now, of course, it is crucial to properly organise feedback collection. I would ask Mr Kravtsov to systematically gather input, including from students, teachers using these materials, and, naturally, parents. Understanding the perspectives of your target audience is essential. Should adjustments be needed, you will be best positioned to determine how to implement them.

Next. Another important matter is social studies textbooks. This presents an equally significant yet perhaps even more complex challenge, with more nuances. I would like to hear your assessment of our current position and the approach you recommend.

Finally, the textbooks you have developed will be used for year five onward. But what about earlier years? A child’s worldview begins forming much sooner. I am not just referring to years one through four. This foundation is critically important even at the preschool level.

All schools now conduct flag-raising ceremonies and hold corresponding lessons. However, implementing this with younger children presents greater challenges as the content must be carefully adapted to their young age, following child psychologists’ recommendations and expertise. This is self-evident. I would like to discuss this particular aspect with you as well.

Thank you.

Minister of Education Sergei Kravtsov: Allow me to thank you for this meeting. The project to develop standardised state textbooks, which you have repeatedly mentioned, has been completed. I want to take a moment in your presence to thank the contributors who invested three years of painstaking work to present the entire lineup of textbooks now. History books for years 10–11 are already used in schools. One-third of the 10^th year History course is devoted to the Great Patriotic War.

The imbalances you mentioned did create unnecessary confusion, unfortunately. There were 54 textbooks – more than 50. As you said, the contents of those books did not always align with historical truth. Nearly each school developed its own curriculum: some of them covered the Battle of Stalingrad, for example, while others would omit this topic, unfortunately.

Today, we have finally corrected this imbalance. All schools now follow a standardised History curriculum, designed by leading experts, which dedicates 30 percent of instructional time to the Great Patriotic War. This includes focused lessons on the Battle of Stalingrad, the defence of Brest Fortress, and the Siege of Leningrad.

Simultaneously, Alexander Chubaryan oversaw the development of the World History course, which emphasises Russia’s interconnectedness with global events, ensuring our country’s history is not taught in isolation. This is a highly important point repeatedly brought up by teachers.

In general, teachers’ reactions to the new books were positive because the books contain truthful historical material, complete with links to museum websites and references to recommended films that visualise the events discussed.

It is no less important that the new books are cheaper than those commercially produced, due to state support.

And at the same time, work is underway to design Social Studies books. Social Studies will not be taught until year 9 to devote more time to Russian history. We plan to shift to the new standardised Social Studies textbooks from the next academic year. I think Mr Medinsky will have something to add because he actually developed the Social Studies textbook.

Mr President, I suggest giving the floor to Anatoly Torkunov as one of the contributors to the Russian History textbook, which is indeed one of the key subjects that shape young people’s worldview.

Vladimir Putin: Go ahead, please.

MGIMO University Rector Anatoly Torkunov: Mr President, you mentioned World War II and the Great Patriotic War. It appears to me that the textbook for year 10 not only focuses on these topics but the historical facts and their significance are expanded with references to a great number of fictional works. Children can use QR codes to access the best films about the war, theatre productions and even music. Of course, this creates a completely different picture, a 5D picture for History learners. I believe this represents the creators’ innovative approach. It is a big team of contributors that includes best experts in different periods in history and specific events. I think this is why we can consider our textbooks innovative. Not only History of Russia textbooks for year 10 but also for year 6 and onward. Starting September 1, all kids will be taught using these unified textbooks.

But I should note that the National Final School Exam results of 2024 and 2025 demonstrate that the students taught using the new textbooks (in use for two years now) are well prepared for the exam and pass it quite well. Almost 90 percent receive good and excellent marks specifically for this period in history. This period covers the war but also modern history, including the latest events, the special military operation, and the 2000s. I find it an excellent achievement.

I should not praise myself, especially since I am just one of the contributors, but it is a big achievement by the entire team that managed to incorporate all the events into a relatively small textbook and present them to the kids. I hope the textbooks for years 6 to 11 will be similarly effective.

But you know, Mr President, I would like to raise one issue that we, historians and teachers, have been discussing for quite some time. Perhaps it is reasonable to consider making National Final School Exams in History a requirement for applicants to Humanities degree programmes.

Today, a substantial part of such applicants, including those applying to study law, take an exam in Social Studies. Even with the new textbook that, I am certain, will be better than the previous textbooks, we believe that in terms of substance, it would be more important for applicants to prepare — not immediately, of course, but after a while — for a National Final School Exam in History if they apply for degree programmes related to Humanities, Social Sciences, and Economics. While maintaining certain Social Studies components in the examination would be valuable, it is worth noting that the existing History curriculum already comprehensively incorporates all essential Social Studies terminology and concepts. This knowledge domain could be improved further by consistently improving the History textbook. As of today, 46 percent of school graduates take Social Studies exams.

If we look at public opinion polls and our own understanding of the matter, we will see a rather poor knowledge of History in general among school graduates applying to study in universities. Why is that? We realise why. Because in secondary school students begin preparing for the National Final School Exam in the subjects required for enrolment and History is not their priority.

Yes, from now on, at your initiative, university students will be taking courses in Russian and World History in their fresher’s year, with respective hours allocated. But when students come completely unprepared in History, I am afraid the number of subjects related to Engineering and Natural Sciences will be overwhelming (take Strength of Materials alone). I assume it would be important to ensure that all students, or at least those applying to study Humanities, Social Sciences, and Economics, had an in-depth knowledge of History. Before this meeting, we discussed this, and the historians are certainly unanimous in this opinion.

Vladimir Putin: Fine. I took a History exam when I applied for university.

Right.

Go ahead, please.

Academic Director at the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute of World History Alexander Chubaryan: Mr President, in schools, World History begins in the fifth year – even a full year earlier than Russian History. I must note that most World History textbooks in use today remain Eurocentric – focusing primarily on European history. The key improvement in our new edition is its stronger emphasis on other continents. It includes dedicated sections on the East, specifically, Asia, with expanded coverage of China and India, as well as new chapters on Africa and Latin America, which are also interesting. This, I believe, is one of our most significant achievements. Russian students will gain a more balanced understanding of global historical development now.

Another key improvement is our focus on Russia’s role in world history across all periods, which was one of our core objectives from the start. The new textbook presents global events in a broader context. For instance, while the previous year 5 textbook covered only antiquity, the updated version now includes archaeological discoveries from our own country, Mr President, such as major Siberian excavation sites and their significant finds. This, I believe, marks another important innovation.

Mr President, both Anatoly Torkunov and you stressed the importance of the history of the Great Patriotic War and World War II. We have expanded the World War II section highlighting our country’s role in the East, in the Far East – our contribution to the defeat of Japanese militarism. In my view, the updated version offers richer content and is more engaging.

I would like to propose something. Four years ago, Moscow hosted the World Congress of School History Teachers, a major international event co-organised with our European partners. You sent a message of greeting to the participants. I have a new idea now – to hold the second congress next year while expanding the representation of Eurasia. I have already discussed this with Chinese representatives; South Africa has shown great interest, and Brazil as well. I think we could organise the next congress.

The Council of Europe has established an institutional project to enhance history education in Europe. I propose that the next teachers’ congress launch a similar centre in Moscow – one with a global mission to promote quality history education. This initiative should extend to all countries, not just Europe, and I am confident we have the capacity to realise it. The congress would provide an excellent platform to share our experience and present our new textbooks, which I believe would be of broad international interest.

I have had preliminary consultations with China, South Africa, and Brazil. Everyone supported the idea. I even wrote you a letter saying that we wanted to hold this congress next year. I think that would be important.

Vladimir Putin: Good, thank you.

Once again, I would like to congratulate you on receiving a state decoration that recognises your outstanding contribution.

Artur Chubaryan: Thank you very much.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you.

Presidential Aide Vladimir Medinsky: Mr President, I will mention a few more improvements very briefly. The new textbooks are not just modern in format – they are fully integrated with a growing suite of digital resources we have developed specifically to complement them. Every textbook serves as a gateway to a wider world of knowledge, with direct links to museum collections, archival materials, films and even television shows, and online lectures.

They also feature a more accessible style. We consciously shifted from academic prose to a popular science approach – a change both teachers and students have acknowledged. They are now better aligned with the National Final School Exam format, making exam preparation more straightforward. The content is also more digitally friendly. Predictably, students using the new textbooks have shown better History exam scores in recent years.

Finally, the new textbooks are built to last. Unlike the previous 50 plus paperback versions, which were glued and fell apart within months, forcing annual replacements, these editions feature durable hardcover binding and stitched pages. With a lifespan of up to five years, they represent significant savings for state budgets.

But most importantly, by significantly reworking the content, we got rid of an array of false messages. Our textbooks feature a straightened ideological framework.

Let me give you one example. Consider the year 7 textbook covering 16th–17th century Russian history. Previous editions presented 1954 as a major milestone – the 300^th anniversary of Ukraine’s reunification with Russia, alongside the launch of Crimea’s transfer. This narrative, once widely promoted in films and art, is historically flawed. The very notion of reunification drew ironic smiles from historians. What was the real reason? In reality, the 1954 decision stemmed from Khrushchev’s power struggle: after ousting Beria and Malenkov, he needed votes from Ukraine’s biggest Communist Party faction in the Central Committee. Hence Crimea’s transfer and all that followed.

The actual 17th-century event referenced was the agreement, in which Zaporozhye Cossacks, led by Hetman Bogdan Khmelnitsky, voluntarily aligned their territories with the Moscow Tsardom under a protectorate, retaining limited autonomy. That involved Cossack lands, not Ukraine as a state. What kind of “reunification” are we talking about? No Ukrainian statehood existed to “reunite” with Russia.

In this new edition, we included all the correct historical assessments while clearing it of excess ideology, which gave students a false idea of what really happened. In addition, we emphasise continuity of our history.

Every textbook features what publishers call a ‘flyleaf’– a dual historical map spread. On the left, Russia’s territory at the period’s beginning; on the right, its borders at the era’s conclusion, as you can see. This visual timeline reveals how generations of our ancestors shaped today’s Russia through their collective efforts, from the compact Moscow Principality, through centuries to the Soviet Union and beyond.

Anatoly Torkunov: Interestingly, the year 5 textbook cover features Palmyra’s Monumental Arch, with Chersonesus and Sevastopol visible in the background.

Vladimir Medinsky: It is the same arch that you could see on the cover of the Soviet textbook.

Anatoly Torkunov: This imagery also represents historical continuity – the interconnectedness of national and regional histories, with Russia’s enduring role in this shared historical narrative. We have reviewed some interesting cover designs. The cover is a component that creates immediate visual appeal for young learners.

Mr President, your attention to history education and children’s learning is particularly timely. I believe there have been some noteworthy innovations in this domain recently such as cartoons describing various historical events.

These historical cartoons were recently showcased at a book fair on Red Square. While the execution may have room for refinement, their content remains firmly grounded in historical accuracy. And most importantly, they appeal to children through visually compelling storytelling with educational captions. They are suitable for younger children, five to seven years old, or elementary school students. I think it is an effective approach.

And second, I have noticed that recently, there have been historically-grounded animated films on television. These are educational rather than purely entertainment-focused, covering various historical events. This format appears particularly suitable for preschool education, and it would be a good idea to promote similar projects in general. I think it is a valuable tool for introducing history to young learners.

Vladimir Putin: Yes, it is true.

Regarding 1954, we must acknowledge the historical context. This decision continued the Communist Party’s and the Bolsheviks’ policy of korenizatsiya (nativisation), initiated after those same revolutionary forces had first dismantled the empire, then sought to rebuild Russian statehood through new structures. Their strategy involved courting national elites with political concessions – an approach that ultimately informed Lenin’s concept of nativisation, or creating independent states, entities that had never existed before.

But it is a separate subject matter for experts precisely like yourselves.

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