You can helpexpand this article with text translated fromthe corresponding article in Russian. (January 2025)Click [show] for important translation instructions.
View a machine-translated version of the Russian article.
Machine translation, likeDeepL orGoogle Translate, is a useful starting point for translations, but translators must revise errors as necessary and confirm that the translation is accurate, rather than simply copy-pasting machine-translated text into the English Wikipedia.
Consideradding a topic to this template: there are already 1,126 articles in themain category, and specifying|topic= will aid in categorization.
Do not translate text that appears unreliable or low-quality. If possible, verify the text with references provided in the foreign-language article.
Youmust providecopyright attribution in theedit summary accompanying your translation by providing aninterlanguage link to the source of your translation. A model attribution edit summary isContent in this edit is translated from the existing Russian Wikipedia article at [[:ru:Разговоры о важном]]; see its history for attribution.
You may also add the template{{Translated|ru|Разговоры о важном}} to thetalk page.
Visual identity ofConversations about Important Things.[1]
Conversations about Important Things[2] (Russian:Разговоры о важном,romanized: Razgovory o vazhnom,lit.'Conversations about that which is important'), orImportant Conversations for short,[3] is a name for a series of compulsory school lessons in Russia that covers various topics from the Russian government's perspective, such asnational identity,public holidays, and world events.Important Conversations lessons take place every Monday morning during the school year, following theflag-raising ceremony.
Important Conversations was developed by the Institute for Education Development Strategy, on behalf of theRussian Ministry of Education,[4] and was part of a 17-year long effort by the Russian government to introduce "patriotic education" to schools in Russia.[5] The firstImportant Conversations lessons took place nationwide on 5 September 2022,[2] and are generally considered to be part of the Russian government'sinformation war in relation to theRusso-Ukrainian war since 2022, which they call a "special military operation".
The Russian government has defendedImportant Conversations, claiming that it promotes "national unity, patriotism andtraditional values".[3] However, many teachers and parents have resisted the initiative as an attempt by the Russian government to introduce political propaganda andmilitarism into the education system. In response, teachers and students (along with their parents) have faced reprisals for not participating inImportant Conversations lessons, in the context of the ongoing crackdown onprotests against the invasion.[6]
Sergey Kravtsov, one of the architects ofConversations about Important Things, in March 2020
The origins of using school lessons to promote "Russian values" go back to July 2005, when then-Prime MinisterMikhail Fradkov approved funding for a similar programme called "Patriotic Education for Citizens of the Russian Federation".[5] According to geography teacher Kyamran Manafly, the government sent to schools materials for "patriotic lessons" for many years since 2005, but many teachers ignored them due to lack of interest from the students.[7] On 21 May 2020,The Moscow Times reported that Russian PresidentVladimir Putin made another effort to introduce "patriotic lessons" by makingcitizenship andwar history compulsory subjects under the Russian education law.[8]
Following theRussian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the Russian government increased their efforts to introduce "patriotic education" into schools, although some schools improvised such lessons or events shortly after the invasion started.[9] According toThe Moscow Times on 19 April 2022, the Minister of EducationSergey Kravtsov announced plans for children to study history from Class 1 onwards instead of Class 4, and for schools to hold aflag-raising ceremony (similar to thePledge of Allegiance in the United States) every Monday morning, from the start of the 2022–2023 school year.[10] Schools in theKaluga andVoronezh oblasts introduced flag-raising ceremonies in mid-April.[11]
Plans for more children to study history evolved intoConversations about Important Things, which was unveiled by Kravtsov and the Institute for Education Development Strategy on 20 June 2022: according to the Institute,Important Conversations aimed to teach history and socio-political values from the Russian government's perspective.[4] The initial budget for the development ofImportant Conversations, which began in mid-April, was 22 millionrubles, or about US$326,000 in 2022.[12][13]
The firstImportant Conversations lessons took place nationwide on 5 September 2022, although Russian President Putin hosted an inaugural lesson with selected students in the Russian exclave ofKaliningrad, on 1 September 2022.[7] The programme is currently designed for primary and secondary schools, but somekindergartens have also trialledImportant Conversations lessons in their classes since October 2024.[14][15]
TheConversations about Important Things takes place every Monday from 09:00 local time, during the school year and after theflag-raising ceremony.[10][16] Since 20 February 2023,Channel One Russia'sGood Morning programme included a segment involvingImportant Conversations, every Monday at 08:36Moscow Time (UTC+3).[12]
The lessons cover various topics from the Russian government's perspective, such asnational identity,public holidays, and world events. Some of the lesson plans reference developments associated with theRusso-Ukrainian war since 2022, which the Russian government calls a "special military operation",[6] and attempt tocover up or deny widely documented evidence ofwar crimes committed by Russian forces.[17] Each topic on the official website forImportant Conversations lessons have separate sections for Classes 1–2, Classes 3–4, Classes 5–7, Classes 8–9, Classes 10–11 and Secondary Vocational Education.[18]
According toThe New York Times on 3 June 2023, local school administrators were responsible for implementingImportant Conversations: this meant the actual amount of politics and propaganda in the lessons depended on the school administration's stance towards the Russian government. For example, one teacher forced students to sing and dance toYa russkiy (Russian:Я русский,lit.'I'm Russian') by Russian singerShaman, while another taughtalgebra as an "important conversation" in the context ofmathematics.[19]
TheConversations about Important Things were unpopular with many teachers and parents, with many criticising the lessons as an attempt by the Russian government to introduce political propaganda into the education system, despite laws that did not allow it.[9]
TheAssociated Press reported that some parents were shocked by themilitaristic nature ofImportant Conversations lessons, with some comparing them to the "patriotic education" of the formerSoviet Union.[20] There was notable controversy over the lesson plan forOur country — Russia, which originally instructed teachers to tell students from Class 3 onwards that Russia was "more precious" than life (Russian:Счастье Родины дороже жизни), and that it was "not scary" to die for Russia (За Родину-мать не страшно умирать).[21][22]
The opposition trade unionAlliance of Teachers called for parents to boycott the lessons, and for teachers to either boycott the lessons as well, or to present them from a more critical perspective than that of the Russian government.[3] The Associated Press reported cases of teachers attempting to depoliticiseImportant Conversations by developing their own content for the lessons.[20]
The initial criticism resulted in the RussianMinistry of Education making revisions to the lesson material in an attempt to reduce mentions of the military and current events (such as theRusso-Ukrainian war),[16] which included the removal of controversial passages fromOur country — Russia.[23] However, there is evidence that the lessons continue to actively reference the war.[6][24] Teachers who refused to teach the lessons risk either losing their jobs or being designated as a "foreign agent", and some teachers have left (or considered leaving) Russia in protest ofImportant Conversations.[3][25]
Parents have also called for the right to withdraw their children fromImportant Conversations lessons: although the RussianMinistry of Education initially claimed that the lessons were voluntaryextracurricular activities,[16] Russian students and their parents have been investigated by the police, or threatened with expulsion, for refusing to attendImportant Conversations lessons.[6][26]
The Ministry of Education later admitted that the classes were compulsory, warning that students may be sanctioned for skipping the lessons.[16][27] On 19 February 2023, theKharkiv Human Rights Protection Group reported that the Minister of EducationSergey Kravtsov planned to make parents of students attendImportant Conversations lessons.[24]
In November 2022,Times Higher Education reported that academics had different opinions on how theConversations about Important Things would affect the development of beliefs among Russian students. ProfessorGrigory Yudin of theMoscow School for the Social and Economic Sciences expressed concern thatImportant Conversations increased the risk of turning otherwise apathetic oranti-war students into "willing fighters". However, Professor Isak Froumin of theHigher School of Economics and researcher Svetland Shenderova believed thatImportant Conversations would fail: Shenderova in particular stated thatImportant Conversations may backfire in the same way asscientific communism, by fuelling the students' hatred towards the Russian government's ideology, which includesPutinism.[28]
In September 2023, the Russian government introduced a similar programme for universities, calledFoundations of Russian Statehood (Russian:Основы российской государственности). The compulsory subject was developed byAndrey Polosin [ru], a political scientist and deputy rector at theRussian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration, and is taught to first-year university students in their first semester.[29][30]
Schools have also installed specially decorated desks to commemorate former students who died fighting in theRusso-Ukrainian war: the desks are part of the Heroes' Desk project (Парта героя), first introduced in 2018 to commemorate Heroes of theSoviet Union and theRussian Federation.[31][32] In August 2025, theRussian Ministry of Education published a list of "patriotic" songs that school music teachers should teach.[33]
The following topics were prescribed by theRussian Ministry of Education for the 2022–2023 school year: no lessons were taught on 31 October 2022 and 2 January 2025.[34]
12 September: "Our country — Russia" (Наша страна — Россия) – Early versions of the lesson plan for children from Class 3 onwards included the teaching of expressions such as not "being scary" to die for Russia (Russian:За Родину-мать не страшно умирать).[22][26]
19 September: "165th anniversary of the birth ofKonstantin Tsiolkovsky" (165-летие со дня рождения К. Э. Циолковского)
17 October: "Music Day" (День музыки) – This topic commemorates International Music Day, which occurred on 1 October 2022.
24 October: "Russia — a world leader in thenuclear industry" (Россия — мировой лидер атомной отрасли) – The topic was supported byRosatom and the Homo Science Project.[36]
30 January: "Movement of the First" (Движение первых) – This youth organisation was created on 18 December 2022: the topic was supported by the Institute for the Study of Childhood, Family and Education of the Russian Academy of Education.[38]
6 February: "Russian Science Day" (День российской науки)
13 February: "Russia in the world" (Россия в мире)
6 March: "Year of Teachers and Mentors[39]" (Год педагога и наставника)
13 March: "110th anniversary of the birth ofSergey Mikhalkov" (С. В. Михалков. 110 лет со дня рождения) – Sergey Mikhalkov (born on 13 March 1913N.S.) wrote the lyrics of thenational anthem of Russia.
20 March: "Day of the reunification of Crimea with Russia" (День воссоединения Крыма с Россией) – This topic commemorates theannexation ofCrimea from Ukraine, on 18 March 2014.
27 March: "Theater Day: 160th anniversary of the birth ofKonstantin Stanislavski" (День театра. 160 лет со дня рождения К. С. Станиславского) – This topic commemoratesWorld Theatre Day, which occurred on 27 March 2022.
17 April: "Day of Remembrance of the genocide of the Soviet people by the Nazis and their accomplices" (День памяти о геноциде советского народа нацистами и их пособниками)
24 April: "Labour Day: world of professions" (День труда. Мир профессий)
4 May: "Victory Day:Immortal Regiment" (День Победы. Бессмертный полк) – This topic covers the Soviet Victory Day, on 9 May.
15 May: "Day of Children's Public Associations" (День детских общественных объединений) – This topic also promotes theMovement of the First youth organisation.[40]
The following topics were prescribed by the Russian Ministry of Education for the 2023–2024 school year: no lessons were taught on 6 November 2024 and 2 January 2025.[a][41]
22 January: "Unconquered: 80th anniversary of the liberation of Leningrad from thefascist blockade" (Непокоренные. 80 лет со дня полного освобождения Ленинграда от фашистской блокады)
4 March: "How do you find your place in society?" (Как найти свое место в обществе?)
11 March: "From the southern seas to the polar edge" (От южных морей до полярного края)
18 March: "Crimea andSevastopol: 10 years in theirhome port" (Крым и Севастополь: 10 лет в родной гавани) – This topic commemorates ten years since theannexation ofCrimea from Ukraine, on 18 March 2014.
1 April: "Russia is a healthy power" (Россия - здоровая держава) – This topic, which covers personal health, was postponed from 25 March 2024 due to theCrocus City Hall attack.[44]
8 April: "I see Earth! It is so beautiful!"[45] («Я вижу землю! Это так красиво!») – This topic commemoratesYuri Gagarin, thefirst person to go to space.
15 April: 215th anniversary of the birth ofNikolai Gogol" (215-летие со дня рождения Н.В. Гоголя)
22 April: "Work is cool" (Труд Крут) – This topic covers youth employment.
6 May: "Victory Day" (День Победы) – This topic covers the Soviet Victory Day, on 9 May.
13 May: "Russian language, great and mighty: 225 years since the birth ofA.S. Pushkin" (Русский язык. Великий и могучий. 225 лет со дня рождения А.С. Пушкина)
20 May: "Be ready! The Day of Children's Public Associations" (Будь готов! Ко дню детских общественных организаций) – This topic also promotes theMovement of the First youth organisation.
The following topics were prescribed by the Russian Ministry of Education for the 2024–2025 school year: no lessons were taught on 4 November 2024,[b] 30 December and 6 January 2025.[46][47]
2 September 2024: "Imagine the future: the Day of Knowledge" (Russian:Образ будущего. Ко Дню знаний)
9 September: "The age of information" (Век информации)
11 November: "Your contribution to the common cause" (Твой вклад в общее дело)
18 November: "Artificial intelligence and humans" (Искусственный интеллект и человек)
25 November: "Taking care of yourself and others" (С заботой к себе и окружающим)
2 December: "Mercy mission: for the Volunteer Day" (Миссия-милосердие. Ко дню волонтера)
9 December: "Heroes of the Fatherland Day" (День Героев Отечества)
16 December: "How are laws made?" (Как пишут законы?)
23 December: "One country, same tradition" (Одна страна - одни традиции)
13 January 2025: "Day of theRussian Press" (День российской печати)
20 January: "Student's Day" (День студента)
27 January: "Year of the Defender of the Fatherland" (Год защитника Отечества)
3 February: "Business and technological entrepreneurship" (Бизнес и технологическое предпринимательство)
10 February: "TheArctic – territory for development" (Арктика – территория развития)
17 February: "What does it mean to serve the Fatherland? 280 years since the birth ofFyodor Ushakov (part 1)" (Что значит служить Отечеству? 280 лет со дня рождения Ф. Ушакова)
24 February: "My small homeland" (Моя малая родина)
10 March: "Mass sports in Russia" (Массовый спорт в России)
17 March: "Day of the reunification of Crimea and Sevastopol with Russia: 100th anniversary ofArtek" (День воссоединения Крыма и Севастополя с Россией. 100-летие Артека) – This topic commemorates 11 years since theannexation ofCrimea from Ukraine, on 18 March 2014.
24 March: "What does it mean to serve the Fatherland? 280 years since the birth ofFyodor Ushakov (part 2)" (Что значит служить Отечеству? 280 лет со дня рождения Ф. Ушакова)
31 March: "Service through creativity: why do people need art? 185 years since the birth ofPyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky" (Служение творчеством. Зачем людям искусство? 185 лет со дня рождения П.И. Чайковского)
7 April: "Day of Unity of the Peoples of Russia and Belarus: theUnion State" (День единения народов России и Беларуси. Союзное государство)
14 April: "Civil aviation of Russia" (Гражданская авиация России)
21 April: "Medicine of Russia" (Медицина России)
28 April: "What is success?" (Что такое успех?)
5 May: "80th anniversary of victory in theGreat Patriotic War" (80-летие Победы в Великой Отечественной войне) – This topic covers theSoviet Victory Day, on 9 May.
12 May: "Life in motion" (Жизнь в Движении)
19 May: "The values that unite us" (Ценности, которые нас объединяют)
The following topics were prescribed by the Russian Ministry of Education for the 2025–2026 school year:[49]
1 September 2025: "Why does a person need to study?" (Russian:Зачем человеку учиться?)
8 September: "Russian language in the digital age" (Русский язык в эпоху цифровых технологий)
15 September: "Creativity that unites" (Творчество, которое объединяет) – This topic was taught ahead ofIntervision 2025, a Russian-backed alternative to theEurovision Song Contest that took place inNovoivanovskoye on 20 September.
22 September: "Peaceful atom: Day of the Nuclear Industry Worker" (Мирный атом. День работника атомной промышленности)
29 September: "Digital sovereignty of the country" (Цифровой суверенитет страны)
6 October: "What is respect? ForTeacher's Day" (Что такое уважение? Ко Дню учителя)
13 October: "How can different generations understand each other?" (Как понять друг друга разным поколениям?)
20 October: "About Russian cities: forNational Unity Day" (О городах России. Ко Дню народного единства)
27 October: "What is respect?" (Что такое уважение?)
1 November: "A society of unlimited possibilities" (Общество безграничных возможностей)
10 November: "Breeding and genetics: 170th anniversary ofIvan Michurin" (Селекция и генетика. К 170-летию И.В. Мичурина)
17 November: "How to resolve conflicts and cope with difficulties? For Psychologist's Day" (Как решать конфликты и справляться с трудностями? Ко Дню психолога)
24 November: "My profession: saving lives" (Профессия - жизнь спасать)
1 December: "Domestic animals" (Домашние питомцы)
8 December: "Russia is a country of victors: forFatherland's Heroes Day" (Россия - страна победителей. Ко Дню Героев Отечества)
15 December: "Law and justice: forConstitution Day of the Russian Federation" (Закон и справедливость. Ко Дню Конституции Российской Федерации)
^ab""Conversations about Important Things" lessons".Institute for Education Development Strategy (in Russian). Moscow: Russian Academy of Education. 20 June 2022. Archived from the original on 3 October 2023. Retrieved3 October 2023.
^"Knowledge Day".Unified Content of General Education (in Russian). Moscow: Ministry of Education, Russia. Archived from the original on 31 August 2023. Retrieved20 October 2023.
^ab"Lesson Scenario: Our Country — Russia"(PDF).Unified Content of General Education (in Russian). Moscow: Ministry of Education, Russia. 13 August 2022. p. 6. Archived from the original on 31 August 2022. Retrieved23 May 2023.
^Krasheninnikov, Fedor (30 May 2023)."The Kremlin Finally Puts Together an Ideology".Kennan Institute. Washington, D.C.: Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. Archived fromthe original on 23 October 2023. Retrieved7 September 2025.
^"Разговоры о важном" [Conversations about Important Things].Unified Content of General Education (in Russian). Moscow: Ministry of Education, Russia. Archived from the original on 14 June 2023. Retrieved21 June 2023.
^"Россия — мировой лидер атомной отрасли" [Russia — a world leader in the nuclear industry].Unified Content of General Education (in Russian). Moscow: Ministry of Education, Russia. Archived from the original on 24 May 2023. Retrieved20 October 2023.
^ab"Russia is celebrating National Unity Day".President of Russia. Moscow: Russian Presidential Executive Office. 4 November 2012. Archived from the original on 25 July 2014. Retrieved23 May 2023.
^"Движение первых" [Movement of the First].Unified Content of General Education (in Russian). Moscow: Ministry of Education, Russia. Archived from the original on 5 June 2023. Retrieved20 October 2023.
^"Launch of Year of Teachers and Mentors".President of Russia. Moscow: Russian Presidential Executive Office. 2 March 2023. Archived from the original on 2 March 2023. Retrieved23 May 2023.
^"День детских общественных объединений" [Day of Children's Public Associations].Unified Content of General Education (in Russian). Moscow: Ministry of Education, Russia. Archived from the original on 5 June 2023. Retrieved20 October 2023.
^"Разговоры о важном" [Conversations about Important Things].Unified Content of General Education (in Russian). Moscow: Ministry of Education, Russia. Archived from the original on 20 May 2024. Retrieved23 May 2024.
^"Разговоры о важном" [Conversations about Important Things].Unified Content of General Education (in Russian). Moscow: Ministry of Education, Russia. 21 March 2024. Archived from the original on 21 March 2024. Retrieved29 March 2024.
^"Разговоры о важном" [Conversations about Important Things].Unified Content of General Education (in Russian). Moscow: Ministry of Education, Russia. Archived from the original on 18 December 2024. Retrieved18 December 2024.
^"Разговоры о важном" [Conversations about Important Things].Institute for the Study of Childhood, Family and Education (in Russian). Moscow: Ministry of Education, Russia. Archived from the original on 15 May 2025. Retrieved16 January 2025.
^"Дорогами России" [Railways of Russia](PDF).Unified Content of General Education (in Russian). Moscow: Ministry of Education, Russia. 20 September 2024. Archived from the original on 8 October 2024. Retrieved8 October 2024.
^"Разговоры о важном" [Conversations about Important Things].Institute for the Study of Childhood, Family and Education (in Russian). Moscow: Ministry of Education, Russia. Archived from the original on 12 December 2025. Retrieved28 August 2025.
