{"id":2167405,"date":"2026-09-28T09:12:41","date_gmt":"2026-09-28T06:12:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2167405"},"modified":"2026-09-28T09:12:41","modified_gmt":"2026-09-28T06:12:41","slug":"russia-under-putin-lost-nearly-half-its-schools-war-propaganda-fills-the-rest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2167405","title":{"rendered":"Russia under Putin lost nearly half its schools \u2014 war propaganda fills the rest"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/93\/03\/27\/1200x675_cmsv2_258cf1e5-c61e-569e-bcdb-0ea81f08589b-9930327.jpg&#8221;]<\/p>\n<article id=\"abe-2929213-pos1-c-latest-stories\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-1 m-modeDesktop-1 m-modeXL-1\" data-nid=\"2929213\" data-cid=\"9930422\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2929213-label-pos1-c-latest-stories\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/93\/04\/22\/189x106_cmsv2_856875e5-8413-5a02-be5e-4aca46e42aab-9930422.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"FILE - The Cattenom Nuclear Power Plant in Cattenom, eastern France, Thursday, Sept. 8, 2022. \" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n                    Tech News<\/p>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Europe\u2019s AI demand could set off nuclear energy boom, says JP Morgan\n  <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2929178-pos2-c-latest-stories\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-1 m-modeDesktop-1 m-modeXL-1 the-media-object--has-video\" data-nid=\"2929178\" data-cid=\"9930121\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2929178-label-pos2-c-latest-stories\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/93\/01\/21\/189x106_cmsv2_c783f9fb-ef78-5055-8fde-f7dbb9482626-9930121.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Gabrielius Landsbergis, Former Lithuanian Foreign Minister\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n                    Europe Today<\/p>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Lithuania needs &#8216;NATO response&#8217; to Russian escalation, ex-minister\n  <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2929196-pos3-c-latest-stories\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-1 m-modeDesktop-1 m-modeXL-1\" data-nid=\"2929196\" data-cid=\"9930296\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2929196-label-pos3-c-latest-stories\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/93\/02\/96\/189x106_cmsv2_5d28a5c1-c020-5d25-a575-297ddb670115-9930296.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"FILE - Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya, Turkey&apos;s Minister of Family Affairs, speaks to the media at Ataturk Airport in Istanbul on 12 March 2017. \" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n                    Markets<\/p>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Turkey\u2019s fund probe: Asset freezes lifted as AKP deputy chair quits\n  <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2929188-pos4-c-latest-stories\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-1 m-modeDesktop-1 m-modeXL-1\" data-nid=\"2929188\" data-cid=\"9930252\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2929188-label-pos4-c-latest-stories\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/93\/02\/52\/189x106_cmsv2_9e1b1377-9bf2-512a-95b2-dab85918ecd8-9930252.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\" North Korean men and women use computer terminals at the Sci-Tech Complex in Pyongyang, North Korea. 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(June 16, 2017)\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n                    Money<\/p>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    North Korean hackers suspected in \u20ac332.8m crypto heist as it leads global hacks\n  <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article class=\"helper-site-row o-article-newsy\">\n<div class=\"helper-site-container o-article-newsy__container\">\n<div class=\"o-article-newsy__main\">\n<header class=\"h-grid o-article-newsy__main__header\">\n<nav aria-label=\"Breadcrumbs\" class=\"c-article-breadcrumbs\">\n<div id=\"adb-article-breadcrumb\" class=\"c-article-breadcrumbs__list\">\n<p>                          News<\/p>\n<p>                          World<\/p>\n<p>                          Russia<\/p><\/div>\n<\/nav>\n<h1 class=\"c-article-redesign-title\">\n                            Russia under Putin lost nearly half its schools \u2014 war propaganda fills the rest<\/h1>\n<div class=\"c-article-image-video u-position-relative \">\n<div class=\"js-superdiv u-aspect-ratio-16x9 u-position-relative \" data-controller=\"video-player\" data-sponsored=\"Partner content\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"js-poster-img c-article-media__img\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/93\/03\/27\/1536x864_cmsv2_258cf1e5-c61e-569e-bcdb-0ea81f08589b-9930327.jpg\" width=\"1536\" height=\"864\" loading=\"eager\" alt=\"Illustrative photo.\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"c-article-caption u-position-absolute\"><i id=\"article-caption-content\" class=\"c-article-caption__content\"><span class=\"c-article-caption__text\"><br \/>\n              Illustrative photo.<br \/>\n                    <span class=\"u-color-white\">&#8211;\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"c-article-caption__copyright\">Copyright\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"c-article-caption__credit\">AP Photo<\/span><\/span><\/i><\/div>\n<div class=\"c-article-image-copyright c-article-image-copyright--novideo\">\n      Copyright\u00a0AP Photo\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"h-grid o-article-newsy__main__body u-article-content\">\n<div class=\"o-article-newsy__contributors-publication-date\">\n<div class=\"c-article-contributors\">\n  By&amp;nbsp<b>Dimitri Kavalerov<\/b><\/div>\n<div class=\"c-article-publication-date\" data-timestamp=\"1790586761\">\n         Published on<br \/>\n            <time datetime=\"2026-09-28 11:12:41 +02:00\">28\/09\/2026 &#8211; 11:12 GMT+2<\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-article-share-comment u-align-items-center u-display-flex\"><span class=\"c-article-share-comment__links u-align-items-center u-display-flex u-justify-content-center js-c-article-share-comment-share\"><span class=\"c-article-share-comment__label\">Share<\/span><\/span><span class=\"c-article-share-comment__label\">Comments<\/span><span class=\"c-article-share-comment__label c-article-share-comment__label--always\">Add Euronews on Google<\/span><\/div>\n<div 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height=\"24\" alt=\"threads\" loading=\"lazy\"><span>Threads<\/span><\/span><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/website\/images\/vector\/social-icons\/article-redesign-threads.svg\" width=\"48\" height=\"48\" alt=\"threads\" class=\"u-show-for-desktop\" loading=\"lazy\"><span class=\"u-display-flex u-gap-1 u-show-for-mobile-only\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/website\/images\/vector\/social-icons\/article-redesign-whatsapp.svg\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" alt=\"whatsapp\" loading=\"lazy\"><span>Whatsapp<\/span><\/span><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/website\/images\/vector\/social-icons\/article-redesign-whatsapp.svg\" width=\"48\" height=\"48\" alt=\"whatsapp\" class=\"u-show-for-desktop\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"c-article-summary\">\n        Closures driven by per-pupil funding that made smaller rural schools unviable far outpaced demographic decline. Since 2022, all remaining schools hold mandatory weekly classes on Russian &#8220;traditional values&#8221; and the Kremlin&#8217;s version of events surrounding Russia&#8217;s war in Ukraine.<br \/>\n    <\/h2>\n<div class=\"c-article-content js-article-content\">\n<p>The number of schools in Russia has fallen by 45% since the start of the century, with rural communities losing the most, according to a report by the Higher School of Economics published this month.<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"c-ad u-show-for-mobile-only\">\n<div class=\"c-ad__placeholder\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"c-ad__placeholder__logo\" src=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/website\/images\/logos\/logo-euronews-stacked-outlined-72x72-grey-9.svg\" width=\"72\" height=\"72\" alt loading=\"lazy\"><span>ADVERTISEMENT<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-ad u-show-for-desktop\">\n<div class=\"c-ad__placeholder\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"c-ad__placeholder__logo\" src=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/website\/images\/logos\/logo-euronews-stacked-outlined-72x72-grey-9.svg\" width=\"72\" height=\"72\" alt loading=\"lazy\"><span>ADVERTISEMENT<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Russia&#8217;s secondary school network has shrunk from 68,800 institutions in 2000 to just under 38,000 in 2026, the report says. The school-age population has fallen by around 13.5% over the same period, from 20.5 million to 17.7 million children.<\/p>\n<p>Russia now has fewer schools than Germany, even though its population is roughly half the size. Germany has more than 40,000 schools in 2026.<\/p>\n<p>Closures have been most severe in rural areas, where the number of state schools has fallen from more than 45,000 to around 21,000, a reduction of more than half. <\/p>\n<p>Urban schools have also declined, from 22,700 in 2000 to 16,300 today. The number of pupils each school serves has grown substantially over the same period: from around 300 pupils per school 15 years ago to around 470 today.<\/p>\n<p>Private schools have increased in number, from 635 in 2000 to 982 in 2026, but account for only 2.5% of total provision.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Is bigger always better?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The closures stem from an optimisation programme launched in 2001 that remains ongoing. <\/p>\n<p>A shift to per-pupil funding made smaller schools financially unviable: the fewer children a school enrolled, the less state money it received. Schools were merged with neighbouring institutions or closed outright. <\/p>\n<p>By 2010, 26% of Russia&#8217;s schools had shut. Around 10,000 more closed in the 2010s, and a further 2,300 since the early 2020s.<\/p>\n<p>Teachers and parents protested the mergers. They argued that large consolidated institutions were harder to manage, that neighbourhood schools with distinct characters were being lost, and that overcrowded classes would reduce educational quality.<\/p>\n<p>Sociologists have also linked school closures to village depopulation, according to a 2026 study published in the Russian magazine Nozh.<\/p>\n<p>The study found that when a village school closes, families typically split \u2014 one parent relocates to a town with the children while the other stays to work \u2014 and the separation becomes permanent.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;By saving on the costs of a single classroom and teacher, you can wipe out a whole thriving local economy,&#8221; the study said.<\/p>\n<p>The village of Atary in Kirov region&#8217;s Lebyazhsky district is one example: after the local school was declared unprofitable, young people left, and the settlement is now largely abandoned.<\/p>\n<p>Communist Party MP Dmitry Novikov has called for rural schools to be funded as strategic social infrastructure rather than on a per-pupil basis. <\/p>\n<p>He has proposed a moratorium on closing upper secondary classes in villages and, where closures go ahead, guaranteed year-round transport to schools in neighbouring areas.<\/p>\n<h2>&#8216;Loyal state ideology&#8217;<\/h2>\n<p>Since September 2022, all Russian schools have held a mandatory weekly class called &#8220;Conversations about What Matters,&#8221; with lesson plans supplied directly by the Ministry of Education. <\/p>\n<p>Topics include Russian traditional values, Russia&#8217;s global role and Moscow&#8217;s war in Ukraine \u2014 referred to in official lesson materials as a &#8220;special military operation,&#8221; the Kremlin&#8217;s only legally allowed term minimising its all-out invasion \u2014 along with themes such as &#8220;service to the Motherland&#8221; and &#8220;self-sacrifice&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>New unified history textbooks were introduced for senior pupils in 2023 and for middle-school years from 2024-2025. <\/p>\n<p>The 2023 unified history textbook describes Ukraine as an &#8220;aggressive anti-Russian bridgehead,&#8221; presents Moscow&#8217;s 2014 invasion, occupation and annexation of Ukraine&#8217;s Crimea as the rectification of a &#8220;historical injustice,&#8221; while Western sanctions are portrayed as an attempt to destroy Russia&#8217;s economy. <\/p>\n<p>Anna Wright, Amnesty International&#8217;s researcher for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, said that the books &#8220;hide the truth and distort the facts about serious human rights violations and crimes under international law committed by Russian troops against Ukrainians.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p>Wright described the indoctrination of children as &#8220;a cynical attempt to eradicate Ukrainian culture, Ukrainian cultural heritage and identity.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The textbooks instruct pupils not to trust information found online. They were updated this summer: chapters on the war were expanded, and a section on the Trump-Putin Alaska meeting was added.<\/p>\n<p>The books were edited in part by Vladimir Medinsky, an aide to Putin, former culture minister and head of Russia&#8217;s delegation in ceasefire talks with Ukraine. <\/p>\n<p>After he moved directly to the Kremlin as a presidential aide, he was appointed chairman of the Interdepartmental Commission on Historical Education, established in 2021 to counter what Russia terms historical &#8220;falsification\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Mendinsky&#8217;s approach has been described as pseudo-historical rhetoric deployed to construct &#8220;loyal state ideology&#8221;. He is under sanctions from the EU, the US and Canada.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>                                  Go to accessibility shortcuts<\/p>\n<div class=\"c-article-share-comment u-align-items-center u-display-flex\"><span class=\"c-article-share-comment__links u-align-items-center u-display-flex u-justify-content-center js-c-article-share-comment-share\"><span class=\"c-article-share-comment__label\">Share<\/span><\/span><span class=\"c-article-share-comment__label\">Comments<\/span><span class=\"c-article-share-comment__label c-article-share-comment__label--always\">Add Euronews on Google<\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"adb-article-you-might-also-like\" class=\"perf-cv-auto c-article-you-might-also-like\">\n<h2 class=\"c-article-you-might-also-like__title\">\n        Read more<br \/>\n      <\/h2>\n<div class=\"c-article-you-might-also-like__item\">\n<h3>\n<p>                  Russians vote in elections with no party opposing Putin or war in Ukraine<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-article-you-might-also-like__item\">\n<h3>\n<p>                  Sharp rise in utility bills pushes Russia&#8217;s inflation further off target<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-article-you-might-also-like__item\">\n<h3>\n<p>                  Drones hit Wildberries warehouses in Russia for second week running<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"perf-cv-auto\">\n<ul id=\"adb-article-tags\" class=\"c-tags-list\">\n<li class=\"c-tags-list__item\">\n<section class=\"tc-cta\" data-twig-component=\"Cta-default\">\n  World News<br \/>\n<\/section>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"c-tags-list__item\">\n<section class=\"tc-cta\" data-twig-component=\"Cta-default\">\n  Russia&#8217;s invasion of Ukraine<br \/>\n<\/section>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"c-tags-list__item\">\n<section class=\"tc-cta\" data-twig-component=\"Cta-default\">\n  Russian politics<br \/>\n<\/section>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tp-vuukle\">\n<div class=\"c-vuukle-skeleton\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n<div class=\"c-vuukle-skeleton__header\"><span class=\"c-vuukle-skeleton__title\">Comments<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"o-article-newsy__aside\">\n<div class=\"c-ad-wrapper o-article-newsy__aside__content-1\" data-ad-name=\"adzone-halfpage\">\n<div class=\"c-ad c-ad-halfpage u-show-for-desktop\">\n<div class=\"c-ad__placeholder\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"c-ad__placeholder__logo\" src=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/website\/images\/logos\/logo-euronews-stacked-outlined-72x72-grey-9.svg\" width=\"72\" height=\"72\" alt><span>ADVERTISEMENT<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-ad u-show-for-mobile-only\">\n<div class=\"c-ad__placeholder\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"c-ad__placeholder__logo\" src=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/website\/images\/logos\/logo-euronews-stacked-outlined-72x72-grey-9.svg\" width=\"72\" height=\"72\" alt><span>ADVERTISEMENT<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"adb-article-top-stories\" class=\"perf-cv-auto c-top-stories\">\n<h2 class=\"c-top-stories__title\">Top stories<\/h2>\n<div class=\"c-top-stories__item\">\n<article id=\"abe-2929208-pos2-top-stories\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-2 m-modeDesktop-2 m-modeXL-2 the-media-object--no-label\" data-nid=\"2929208\" data-cid=\"9930368\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2929208-label-pos2-top-stories\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/93\/03\/68\/320x180_cmsv2_99adb2f6-3185-529d-b3df-1b911e30bc41-9930368.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas in Brussels on 28 September 2026.\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n<h3 class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Increased Russian sabotage attempts prompts EU response<br \/>\n  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id=\"abe-2929115-pos4-top-stories\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-2 m-modeDesktop-2 m-modeXL-2 the-media-object--no-label\" data-nid=\"2929115\" data-cid=\"9929850\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2929115-label-pos4-top-stories\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/92\/98\/50\/320x180_cmsv2_19bea4f1-11dd-5469-b89e-dc2c22cbc990-9929850.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"South Korean President Lee Jae Myung addresses the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n<h3 class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Seoul demands apology after Kyiv reveals transfer of North Korean POWs<br \/>\n  <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-top-stories__item\">\n<article id=\"abe-2929147-pos5-top-stories\" 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m-modeXL-2 the-media-object--no-label\" data-nid=\"2928613\" data-cid=\"9927777\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2928613-label-pos6-top-stories\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/92\/77\/77\/320x180_cmsv2_220e7d0e-95e6-536e-9fbb-d215b85d184d-9927777.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"The Euronews Travel &amp; Tourism Summit will be live from the Albert Hall in Brussels\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n<h3 class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Euronews Travel &amp; Tourism Summit: Speakers, topics and how to watch<br \/>\n  <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"perf-cv-auto c-ad-wrapper o-article-newsy__aside__content-2\" data-ad-name=\"adzone-halfpage\">\n<div class=\"c-ad c-ad-halfpage u-show-for-desktop\">\n<div class=\"c-ad__placeholder\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"c-ad__placeholder__logo\" src=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/website\/images\/logos\/logo-euronews-stacked-outlined-72x72-grey-9.svg\" width=\"72\" height=\"72\" alt><span>ADVERTISEMENT<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-ad u-show-for-mobile-only\">\n<div class=\"c-ad__placeholder\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"c-ad__placeholder__logo\" src=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/website\/images\/logos\/logo-euronews-stacked-outlined-72x72-grey-9.svg\" width=\"72\" height=\"72\" alt><span>ADVERTISEMENT<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"perf-cv-auto c-most-viewed\">\n<h2 class=\"c-most-viewed__title qa-section-title\">Most read<\/h2>\n<div class=\"c-most-viewed__list\">\n<div class=\"c-most-viewed__item\"><span class=\"c-most-viewed__item__number\">1<\/span><\/p>\n<article id=\"abe-2929001-pos1-mostViewed\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-3 m-modeDesktop-3 m-modeXL-3 the-media-object--no-label\" data-nid=\"2929001\" data-cid=\"9929499\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n<h3 class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Poland and Lithuania preparing cross-border evacuation plan<br \/>\n  <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-most-viewed__item\"><span class=\"c-most-viewed__item__number\">2<\/span><\/p>\n<article id=\"abe-2929038-pos2-mostViewed\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-3 m-modeDesktop-3 m-modeXL-3 the-media-object--no-label\" data-nid=\"2929038\" data-cid=\"9929678\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n<h3 class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    IRGC claims, US denies seizure of underwater US drone in Hormuz<br \/>\n  <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-most-viewed__item\"><span class=\"c-most-viewed__item__number\">3<\/span><\/p>\n<article id=\"abe-2929115-pos3-mostViewed\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-3 m-modeDesktop-3 m-modeXL-3 the-media-object--no-label\" data-nid=\"2929115\" data-cid=\"9929850\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n<h3 class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Seoul demands apology after Kyiv reveals transfer of North Korean POWs<br \/>\n  <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-most-viewed__item\"><span class=\"c-most-viewed__item__number\">4<\/span><\/p>\n<article id=\"abe-2929005-pos4-mostViewed\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-3 m-modeDesktop-3 m-modeXL-3 the-media-object--no-label\" data-nid=\"2929005\" data-cid=\"9929459\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n<h3 class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    EU tells capitals to cut gas demand amid rising supply concerns<br \/>\n  <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-most-viewed__item\"><span class=\"c-most-viewed__item__number\">5<\/span><\/p>\n<article id=\"abe-2928893-pos5-mostViewed\" 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decoding=\"async\" class=\"c-ad__placeholder__logo\" src=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/website\/images\/logos\/logo-euronews-stacked-outlined-72x72-grey-9.svg\" width=\"72\" height=\"72\" alt><span>ADVERTISEMENT<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2929208-pos2-top-stories\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-2 m-modeDesktop-2 m-modeXL-2 the-media-object--no-label\" data-nid=\"2929208\" data-cid=\"9930368\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2929208-label-pos2-top-stories\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/93\/03\/68\/320x180_cmsv2_99adb2f6-3185-529d-b3df-1b911e30bc41-9930368.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas in Brussels on 28 September 2026.\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n<h3 class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Increased Russian sabotage attempts prompts EU response<br \/>\n  <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2929145-pos3-top-stories\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-2 m-modeDesktop-2 m-modeXL-2 the-media-object--has-video the-media-object--no-label\" data-nid=\"2929145\" data-cid=\"9930004\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2929145-label-pos3-top-stories\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/93\/00\/04\/320x180_cmsv2_9ecec385-83d6-5bba-a997-039b8a6537a3-9930004.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Police officers guard a road leading to RAF Fairford, 28 September, 2026\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n<h3 class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    UK police probe Iran link to suspected bomb plot at RAF base<br \/>\n  <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2929115-pos4-top-stories\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-2 m-modeDesktop-2 m-modeXL-2 the-media-object--no-label\" data-nid=\"2929115\" data-cid=\"9929850\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2929115-label-pos4-top-stories\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/92\/98\/50\/320x180_cmsv2_19bea4f1-11dd-5469-b89e-dc2c22cbc990-9929850.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"South Korean President Lee Jae Myung addresses the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n<h3 class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Seoul demands apology after Kyiv reveals transfer of North Korean POWs<br \/>\n  <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2929147-pos5-top-stories\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-2 m-modeDesktop-2 m-modeXL-2 the-media-object--no-label\" data-nid=\"2929147\" data-cid=\"9930006\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2929147-label-pos5-top-stories\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/93\/00\/06\/320x180_cmsv2_c1169579-4c39-5313-88ab-c8634cb5fb58-9930006.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Military personnel take part in a parade to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Beijing, 3 September, 2025\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n<h3 class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Trump offered to sell arms to China, US ambassador tells Fox News<br \/>\n  <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2928613-pos6-top-stories\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-2 m-modeDesktop-2 m-modeXL-2 the-media-object--no-label\" data-nid=\"2928613\" data-cid=\"9927777\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2928613-label-pos6-top-stories\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/92\/77\/77\/320x180_cmsv2_220e7d0e-95e6-536e-9fbb-d215b85d184d-9927777.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"The Euronews Travel &amp; Tourism Summit will be live from the Albert Hall in Brussels\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n<h3 class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Euronews Travel &amp; Tourism Summit: Speakers, topics and how to watch<br \/>\n  <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2929001-pos1-mostViewed\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-3 m-modeDesktop-3 m-modeXL-3 the-media-object--no-label\" data-nid=\"2929001\" data-cid=\"9929499\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n<h3 class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Poland and Lithuania preparing cross-border evacuation plan<br \/>\n  <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2929038-pos2-mostViewed\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-3 m-modeDesktop-3 m-modeXL-3 the-media-object--no-label\" data-nid=\"2929038\" data-cid=\"9929678\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n<h3 class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    IRGC claims, US denies seizure of underwater US drone in Hormuz<br \/>\n  <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2929115-pos3-mostViewed\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-3 m-modeDesktop-3 m-modeXL-3 the-media-object--no-label\" data-nid=\"2929115\" data-cid=\"9929850\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n<h3 class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Seoul demands apology after Kyiv reveals transfer of North Korean POWs<br \/>\n  <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2929005-pos4-mostViewed\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-3 m-modeDesktop-3 m-modeXL-3 the-media-object--no-label\" data-nid=\"2929005\" data-cid=\"9929459\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n<h3 class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    EU tells capitals to cut gas demand amid rising supply concerns<br \/>\n  <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2928893-pos5-mostViewed\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-3 m-modeDesktop-3 m-modeXL-3 the-media-object--has-video the-media-object--no-label\" data-nid=\"2928893\" data-cid=\"9929054\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n<h3 class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Etna erupts again: chaos at Catania airport, risk of higher air fares<br \/>\n  <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"articleBody\" data-key=\"articleBody\">The number of schools in Russia has fallen by 45% since the start of the century, with rural communities losing the most, according to a report by the Higher School of Economics published this month.Russia&#8217;s secondary school network has shrunk from 68,800 institutions in 2000 to just under 38,000 in 2026, the report says. The school-age population has fallen by around 13.5% over the same period, from 20.5 million to 17.7 million children.Russia now has fewer schools than Germany, even though its population is roughly half the size. Germany has more than 40,000 schools in 2026.Closures have been most severe in rural areas, where the number of state schools has fallen from more than 45,000 to around 21,000, a reduction of more than half.Urban schools have also declined, from 22,700 in 2000 to 16,300 today. The number of pupils each school serves has grown substantially over the same period: from around 300 pupils per school 15 years ago to around 470 today.Private schools have increased in number, from 635 in 2000 to 982 in 2026, but account for only 2.5% of total provision.Is bigger always better?The closures stem from an optimisation programme launched in 2001 that remains ongoing.A shift to per-pupil funding made smaller schools financially unviable: the fewer children a school enrolled, the less state money it received. Schools were merged with neighbouring institutions or closed outright.By 2010, 26% of Russia&#8217;s schools had shut. Around 10,000 more closed in the 2010s, and a further 2,300 since the early 2020s.Teachers and parents protested the mergers. They argued that large consolidated institutions were harder to manage, that neighbourhood schools with distinct characters were being lost, and that overcrowded classes would reduce educational quality.Sociologists have also linked school closures to village depopulation, according to a 2026 study published in the Russian magazine Nozh.The study found that when a village school closes, families typically split \u2014 one parent relocates to a town with the children while the other stays to work \u2014 and the separation becomes permanent.&#8221;By saving on the costs of a single classroom and teacher, you can wipe out a whole thriving local economy,&#8221; the study said.The village of Atary in Kirov region&#8217;s Lebyazhsky district is one example: after the local school was declared unprofitable, young people left, and the settlement is now largely abandoned.Communist Party MP Dmitry Novikov has called for rural schools to be funded as strategic social infrastructure rather than on a per-pupil basis.He has proposed a moratorium on closing upper secondary classes in villages and, where closures go ahead, guaranteed year-round transport to schools in neighbouring areas.&#8217;Loyal state ideology&#8217;Since September 2022, all Russian schools have held a mandatory weekly class called &#8220;Conversations about What Matters,&#8221; with lesson plans supplied directly by the Ministry of Education.Topics include Russian traditional values, Russia&#8217;s global role and Moscow&#8217;s war in Ukraine \u2014 referred to in official lesson materials as a &#8220;special military operation,&#8221; the Kremlin&#8217;s only legally allowed term minimising its all-out invasion \u2014 along with themes such as &#8220;service to the Motherland&#8221; and &#8220;self-sacrifice&#8221;.New unified history textbooks were introduced for senior pupils in 2023 and for middle-school years from 2024-2025.The 2023 unified history textbook describes Ukraine as an &#8220;aggressive anti-Russian bridgehead,&#8221; presents Moscow&#8217;s 2014 invasion, occupation and annexation of Ukraine&#8217;s Crimea as the rectification of a &#8220;historical injustice,&#8221; while Western sanctions are portrayed as an attempt to destroy Russia&#8217;s economy.Anna Wright, Amnesty International&#8217;s researcher for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, said that the books &#8220;hide the truth and distort the facts about serious human rights violations and crimes under international law committed by Russian troops against Ukrainians.&#8221;Wright described the indoctrination of children as &#8220;a cynical attempt to eradicate Ukrainian culture, Ukrainian cultural heritage and identity.&#8221;The textbooks instruct pupils not to trust information found online. They were updated this summer: chapters on the war were expanded, and a section on the Trump-Putin Alaska meeting was added.The books were edited in part by Vladimir Medinsky, an aide to Putin, former culture minister and head of Russia&#8217;s delegation in ceasefire talks with Ukraine.After he moved directly to the Kremlin as a presidential aide, he was appointed chairman of the Interdepartmental Commission on Historical Education, established in 2021 to counter what Russia terms historical &#8220;falsification\u201d.Mendinsky&#8217;s approach has been described as pseudo-historical rhetoric deployed to construct &#8220;loyal state ideology&#8221;. 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