Occupiers held an “ethnographic dictation” in Donbas: how a Russian copy of a Ukrainian radio dictation turned into propaganda
7 November 19:45
In the occupied part of Donbas, the Russian administration organized the so-called “Great Ethnographic Dictation ” – an event that members of theYellow Ribbon resistance movement called a stolen and distorted version of the Ukrainian Dictation of National Unity, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
The event was held in Donetsk at the Center for Slavic Culture. The text of the dictation was read out by Russian actor Oleg Kamenshchikov, and the tasks included blocks with propaganda materials about the “history of the DPR” and the “Russian world.”
What the occupiers copy
Launched in 2000, the Ukrainian Dictation of National Unity annually brings together millions of participants across the country and abroad – a cultural initiative dedicated to the unity of Ukrainians through language.
The Russian occupation version, according to activists, fully reproduces the format of the Ukrainian dictation: text, announcer, audience, and the involvement of schoolchildren.
But the content, according to the Yellow Ribbon, has been replaced by an ideological construct aimed at forming a “correct Russian worldview” among children.
“In the occupied territories of the Ukrainian Donbas, the occupiers held a stolen Russian version of the Dictation of National Unity. Instead of supporting unity and culture, they are propagandizing and spreading pseudo-history,” the Yellow Ribbon reported.
Coercion and sabotage
The activists note that participation in the “dictation” was mandatory for schoolchildren from the age of 7.
However, in many educational institutions, teachers sabotaged the event, trying to avoid forcing students to participate in the propaganda event.
“And as always, it’s nice to hear that many teachers sabotaged this initiative,” the movement added.
Russia systematically uses the educational sector in the occupied territories as an instrument of ideological influence.
In addition to dictation, Russia is preparing new school textbooks on Russian language and literature with a “nationally oriented” approach and military-patriotic themes.
The goal, according to Russian officials, is “to form a worldview in children that is consistent with the state ideology.”
