Russia extends the battlefield to its history books

In Vladimir Putin’s Russia, no sector escapes the reach of the state. As students began a new year of classes last week they were presented with new textbooks, each written within the space of a few months and presenting a revised interpretation of the fall of the Soviet Union, the Putin era and the causes of the Ukraine war. The books are part of a larger attempt by the Putin regime to shape how younger generations see Russia’s place in the world and the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Formally introduced in mid-August by Education Minister Sergei…