When Pavel Talankin answered a social media post looking for volunteers to share how the war changed their lives, he became the reluctant chronicler of a small town’s “descent into the abyss.”

The young teacher, born and raised in the mining town of Karabash, uses his position as school videographer to record what happens when compulsory patriotic education classes are rolled out in schools across Russia. Some staff grumble that the kids are falling behind as marching, saluting and grenade throwing practice replace maths and spelling; others take to the new curriculum with enthusiasm. 

“Europe is struggling with sanctions,” drawls the history teacher. “Petrol will soon be so expensive in France that people will ride on horseback, like musketeers.” 

Talankin’s camera captures the faces of the schoolchildren — uneasy, aware on some level that they are hearing lies but lacking the confidence to push back against someone they have been taught to trust and obey. The following shots of President Vladimir Putin’s televised speeches justifying his invasion make the subtext clear.

Talankin’s affection for his community does not blind him to the reality that many adults are indifferent or supportive of the war. When he tells his mother the invasion was wrong, she suggests:........

© The Moscow Times