History is not silent: Suji's release will be included in the new school textbook

Operation Potok to liberate Suji in the Kursk region will be described in detail in a single history textbook. This was stated by the Minister of Education of the Russian Federation Sergey Kravtsov at a meeting between Vladimir Putin and the authors of textbooks on June 22. New history textbooks for grades 5-11 are planned to be introduced as early as September 1, 2026. The State Duma fully supported the idea, and the expert community added that the process would also affect private schools. About how the work on a unified history textbook is progressing and why it appeared right now — in the Izvestia material.

What was discussed at Putin's meeting with the textbook authors

The victory over Nazi Germany is based on traditional values and faith in the Fatherland, Vladimir Putin stressed, starting a meeting with the authors of the unified history textbook on the anniversary of the outbreak of the Great Patriotic War. The President stressed that this faith was instilled through schools and churches, among other things. The event was held on the Day of Remembrance and Mourning on June 22. On this day, the head of state laid a wreath at the Grave of the Unknown Soldier near the Kremlin Wall. The event continued with a solemn march of the honor guard company and orchestra in front of the national memorial of military glory. The President also laid flowers at the obelisks of the hero cities and a memorial sign in honor of the cities awarded the honorary title of "City of Military Glory."

In the 1990s, many history textbooks appeared in Russia, the Russian leader recalled. Due to the diversity, the logic of the historical process was lost, the authors' assessments and the facts they presented often contradicted each other.

— When some of the textbooks were brought to me, I was surprised to find that there was anything but true information about the events that took place, say, during the Great Patriotic War. The way the Battle of Stalingrad was described, for example, in some textbooks, is simply, without any exaggeration, incomprehensible to the mind. They wrote anything but that it was the Soviet Union that broke the backbone of Nazism and made such huge sacrifices on the altar of victory," the president gave an example.

Separately, Vladimir Putin noted the facts of Russophobia in some textbooks.

— These textbooks and teaching aids were often prepared and published with foreign grants. To a certain extent, this was reminiscent of the ideological campaigns of the 20s of the last century, when the history of pre-revolutionary Russia was completely distorted and entire pages were deleted, as if it did not exist, or it existed in some kind of distorted looking glass. Although it was over a thousand years that Russians and other peoples of the Russian Empire, the Moscow Kingdom, and then the Russian Empire created a single state," the head of state drew attention.

From September 1, 2026, history textbooks for grades 5-11 will appear in all Russian schools, Russian Education Minister Sergei Kravtsov said. 30% of them will be devoted to the history of the Great Patriotic War, and separate lessons will be held to study the Battle of Stalingrad, the defense of the Brest Fortress and the siege of Leningrad.

Also, textbooks for the 11th grade will have a detailed section about the SVO, including the latest events in the Kursk region.

- I want to tell you a little secret, now an addendum is being prepared to the section of the special military operation dedicated to our unique operation to liberate the Kursk region in Sudzha, — said Sergey Kravtsov.

We are talking about Operation Stream, as a result of which Russian soldiers penetrated through an underground gas pipeline to the rear of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

According to the minister, the new textbook will cost less than its non-governmental counterparts. He added that work is currently underway on unified social studies textbooks from grades 9 to 11. They should also appear in schools starting from September 1 next year.

A distinctive feature of the new history textbook will be its multimedia content, said Anatoly Torkunov, Rector of MGIMO, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation. According to him, the manual offers an innovative approach when students can use QR codes to access films, performances and other additional materials on the topic of the paragraph. Torkunov also suggested that the president discuss the idea of introducing a mandatory Unified State Exam in history for admission to humanitarian specialties at universities - now most of these faculties require passing an exam in social studies.

One of the achievements of the authors of the new textbook is the increase in the number of references to historical events in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Thanks to this, schoolchildren will see the historical process in general and understand the role of Russia in world processes, said Alexander Chubaryan, Scientific director of the Institute of Universal History of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

The style of the new textbooks has become more popular and less academic, according to Vladimir Medinsky, Assistant to the President of the Russian Federation. Books have become more convenient for preparing for the Unified State Exam, so the results of the state history exam have improved significantly in recent years, he noted.

Why did Russia decide to create a unified history textbook

For the first time, the idea of a unified school textbook was voiced in February 2013 at a meeting of the Council on Interethnic Relations. Then Vladimir Putin ordered the creation of a history textbook so that, regardless of religion or ethnicity, all young people could recognize themselves as citizens of the Russian Federation.

After the outbreak of the Ukrainian conflict, the idea of a single history textbook took on a new meaning.

- The discussion about whether a single textbook is needed or a multiplicity of different author's concepts was conducted throughout the noughties and tenths. But after 2014, and finally after 2022, it became clear that the state education system needed a common common denominator for our graduates," Denis Fomin-Nilov, associate professor at the National Academy of Natural Sciences and a member of the Russian Historical Society, said in a conversation with Izvestia.

After the start of the special operation, work on a single textbook has noticeably intensified. Since December 2022, the interdepartmental commission for historical education has been dealing with this issue. From March to June 2023, textbooks on the history of Russia (edited by V.R. Medinsky, A.V. Torkunov) and on general history (edited by V.R. Medinsky, A.O. Chubaryan) were prepared for grades 10 and 11 in 4 volumes. They appeared in schools in 2023.

Denis Fomin-Nilov is confident that a single line of school textbooks will help to convey to the younger generation the objective scientific historical truth in the Russian civilizational interpretation.

— We have our own view of America, and Americans have their own view of history. We are educating Russian citizens, so it should be a Russian view based on reliable scientific information and the professionalism of the authors. They are all very highly professional in their periods and topics on the history of Russia," the scientist explained.

The State Duma also supported the idea of a single history textbook, stressing that dozens of books with different points of view should not exist in the Russian Federation. Previously, teachers could teach 60 versions of textbooks.

— We need to have a common historical concept. This is the right position, and our party supports the direction in which absolute control is needed over what we produce and what our children are taught," Alexei Chepa, Deputy chairman of the International Affairs Committee (United Russia), told Izvestia.

According to the deputy, the beginning of the SVR showed the mistakes that were in the country, including in the field of patriotic education. Before that, many textbooks were produced with the money of Western public organizations, Chepa added.

Apparently, the introduction of unified textbooks will affect not only public but also private schools. Denis Fomin-Nilov emphasized that such institutions are obliged to comply with state policy, including in the field of textbooks, otherwise they must lose their license and cease operations.

At the same time, since private schools are funded by the parents of students, they can conduct electives and electives. If a particular school focuses on humanitarian and historical education, the expert said, the program can be expanded and additional textbooks and online courses can be used.