Russian filmmaker Pavel Talankin documented rising propaganda in Russian schools after Ukraine invasion, eventually fleeing to Turkey with critical footage.
A Regular Job Turns Political
Pavel Talankin initially supported teachers by organizing cultural events for students and recording school ceremonies. A young, educated man who had never left Russia, Talankin found himself documenting increasing militarization in schools after the special military operation began in 2022.
When new guidelines on patriotic education were introduced, schools were required to prove compliance through video documentation. Talankin, serving as photographer, director, and operator, found himself with new responsibilities to capture the changing school environment.
Documenting the Propaganda Machine
Talankin recorded how teachers struggled with new terminology like “demilitarization” and “denazification.” He documented the enthusiasm with which some teachers implemented new guidelines, explaining how European sanctions would only harm Europe, and how loving one’s country meant being ready to sacrifice for it.
Over months, he observed how rhetoric intensified, school uniforms gave way to paramilitary attire, and hallway activities shifted to marching drills. All of this was documented and sent to authorities as evidence of the school’s compliance.
A Quiet Resistance
Before new laws criminalized questioning government decisions, Talankin found his own ways to resist. Despite his entire adult life passing under Putin’s tightening regime, he felt compelled to act to maintain his self-respect.
He began sending edited footage to authorities that distorted reality without consequences. He expressed dissent by placing “X” stickers instead of “Z” symbols on school windows and replacing the Russian imperial flag with a red-less peace flag.
Contact Beyond the Censorship Wall
American director David Borenstein and Talankin connected accidentally. Initially suspicious of each other’s motives, they eventually collaborated on documenting how the regime increasingly penetrated youth education.
Living in Karabasz, a small town where everyone knows everyone, Talankin felt resistance to distant Moscow authorities was nearly impossible. Yet he continued documenting the rising tide of propaganda, including contests for grenade throwing and meetings with the Wagner Group.
Escaping with Evidence
As the atmosphere grew more tense, with students visiting less frequently and police cars appearing nearby, Talankin made plans to leave. On the last day of the 2024 school year, he packed hard drives full of recordings instead of swimming trunks and flew to Turkey.
In Istanbul, he met Borenstein for the first time, bringing with him years of documentation of the increasing militarization and indoctrination in Russian schools.
The Documentary “Mr. Nobody vs. Putin”
Their collaboration resulted in a documentary about the growing propaganda in Russian schools—another front in the battle for citizens’ souls alongside media and the church.
The film reveals the conscious formation of the youngest segment of society into completely new citizens. While Putin’s government had long interfered with history teaching and glorified the country, these efforts intensified after the invasion of Crimea and, after the retreat from Kyiv, Russian schools were effectively pushed back to Soviet times.
The Generation of Indocination
Students completing school this year have undergone nearly four years of constant indoctrination. Trapped in a purely Russian information flow, especially in small towns, they have no access to knowledge about other systems of governance or possibilities for resistance.
Free media barely exist in Russia. Despite growing economic problems, the 2026 budget increases spending on state media, meaning even more propaganda not just in news programs but in entertainment as well. Television now features only people directly supporting the “special military operation,” and new films prioritize stories about heroism during the war.
The Impact of Propaganda
These efforts aim to maintain sufficiently high citizen support for the SVO (the propagandistic Russian name for the full-scale invasion of Ukraine). According to the Levada Center, support for Putin’s decisions is among the highest in 15 years, at 84% in January 2026.
“Mr. Nobody vs. Putin” offers a glimpse into an area difficult to access from the outside. Some parents who saw Talankin’s recordings in Russia were stunned by the intensity of efforts to create new citizens, though for others it was not shocking. One former student claimed not to see any propaganda, which Talankin called the worst comment, indicating the student’s eyes had grown accustomed to this environment.
The documentary is competing for this year’s Oscars in the “Best Documentary” category and will be released in theaters on February 27.