Children will advertise “smo” in the regions of Russia
russian propaganda is involving schoolchildren in promoting the “special military operation” (smo). In bashkortostan, with support from the state administration, they plan to hold a short film contest about participants in the war against Ukraine and their families. Besides adults, children starting from 8 years old are allowed to participate in the contest.
▫️bashkortostan is a depressed region with low incomes among its residents. As of 2024, it ranks 49th out of 85 russian federal subjects in terms of population income. Additionally, bashkortostan leads in the number of military casualties in the war against Ukraine. Nevertheless, kremlin regime considers it important to run an active smo propaganda campaign here, as bashkortostan has relatively high population density compared to other russian regions.
Thus, through such contests, russian propaganda aims to achieve two goals: to intensify militarization efforts targeting children for preparing a new generation of soldiers, and to encourage adults to become “heroes of the smo” by signing contracts and fighting against Ukraine.
