Head of Osvitoria Union on the Dangers of Russian Propaganda and the Film Mr. Nobody

The head of the public union Osvitoria, as well as the founder of the Novopecherska School, has voiced her indignation regarding the victory of the film Mr. Nobody against Putin at this year's Oscars. This event once again serves as a reminder of a painful truth: the global community is eager to normalize the aggressor and is willing to accept even toothless protests that do not reflect the real situation in Russia.

As the executive producer of the documentary film Time Capsule, which tells the story of Ukrainian education and childhood during wartime, I was struck by the naivety of Western film critics and audiences. We obtained permissions for every shoot and for the participation of children, as otherwise, no distributor would show such a film. We deleted gigabytes of footage shot in frontline areas to avoid putting teachers, students, and their families in danger.

However, the film Mr. Nobody invites viewers to believe in an 'underground' report from the very heart of a totalitarian system, where a like on social media can lead to real prison sentences. This raises the question: did teacher Pavel Talankin, who triumphantly lifted the Oscar statuette on stage, care about the safety of his students who remained in Russia after the film's release? Or perhaps this film is part of a sanctioned strategy where 'good Russians' attempt to blind the world while their state continues to build a conveyor belt of propaganda that glorifies omnipotence and hatred?

This conveyor belt operates with extraordinary efficiency and scale. For instance, in 2025, the Russian Federation spent 66 billion rubles on 'patriotic education,' which amounts to over 700 million dollars. At the beginning of the 2025-2026 school year, a mandatory subject called 'Conversations About Important Matters' was introduced, where 70% of discussions are dedicated to topics such as the 'decaying' West, justifications for the war against Ukraine, and calls for students to support military actions.

These lessons begin as early as kindergarten: three-year-old children listen to Russian propaganda from their educators instead of fairy tales. Additionally, new 17 paragraphs of Russian history concerning 'ultra-nationalist Ukraine,' the 'West's conspiracy' to dismantle Russia, and of course, Russia as a hero country, are studied by Russian 11th graders. These and other theses become part of their educational process.

Olga Duhnich, commenting on the situation, notes that for every film like Mr. Nobody, there exists another statistic in Ukraine. For example, in 2025, at least 11,000 Ukrainian children were forcibly sent to Russian 're-education' camps. When the global film academy awards an Oscar to a Russian film, it effectively equates the criminal with the victim, which is a moral absurdity.

The West desperately wants to see Russia as 'good.' As an educator, I would also like to believe in this fairy tale, but this dangerous naivety could come at a high cost when a new generation of militarized fanatics emerges from the desks where 'Conversations About Important Matters' were taught. This raises serious concerns about a future that may be filled with conflicts and hatred if we do not pay attention to the real threats emanating from Russia.