Russian children taught Australia ‘supports Nazism’ in propaganda push

London: Russian schoolchildren are being taught that Australia, alongside dozens of other Western nations, are supporters of Nazism, as Moscow prepares to mark the 80th anniversary of its World War II victory with a surge of patriotic celebrations.

An exhibition on display in schools in Severomorsk, the headquarters of Russia’s powerful Northern Fleet the country’s far north, claims the Ukrainian government is a modern incarnation of Nazi Germany and lists Australia among 30 nations allegedly backing a so-called “Nazi regime” in Kyiv.

A touring exhibition for schoolchildren in Russia compares Ukraine with Nazi Germany and describes Australia, the EU and Nordic countries as supporters of Nazism.Credit: Russian Orthodox Church in Severomorsk on social media

Titled “I Am Against Nazism”, the exhibition includes 24 posters and multimedia materials designed to blur the historical fight against fascism with Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. The content falsely equates Western military and financial aid to Ukraine with ideological support for Nazism.

“They support Nazism,” one poster reads, showing Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Canada, all EU member states and Nordic countries highlighted on a map. Another panel features an image of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky beside Heinrich Himmler, one of the architects of the Holocaust. A separate display shows Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels superimposed over a graveyard in Donbas, accompanied by the claim: “Here are buried people killed by the Nazis in Donbas since 2014.”

A poster, which headline translates as “They Support Nazism”, includes Australia.Credit: Heir of Heroes website

The exhibition is being promoted by a Russian Orthodox Church in Severomorsk, in partnership with the Murmansk regional branch of the Russian Ministry of Interior. Organisers say it’s part of an “education project” to “bridge the Second World War with the special military operation” – the Russian term for the war in Ukraine.

The exhibition was first reported by The Barents Observer, a Norwegian online news outlet that has tracked growing militarisation and nationalist messaging in Russia’s Arctic regions.

Despite the lack of evidence that Ukraine is dominated by Nazis, the idea has taken off among many Russians. Experts have said the common Russian understanding of Nazism hinges on the notion of Nazi Germany as the antithesis of the Soviet Union rather than on the persecution of Jews specifically.

The use of children in these propaganda efforts underscores the extent to which the Kremlin is embedding its wartime narrative into everyday Russian life – from schools to churches and cultural institutions.

Peter Tesch, a former Australian ambassador to Russia, said the Kremlin’s propaganda push had intensified in recent years, starting from the earliest stages of childhood.

“Putin’s been on for some years now about the militarisation of education starting from primary school and the rewriting of history books,” Tesch, now a fellow at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, a government, defence and strategic policy think-tank, said.

He said the strategy was deeply concerning, noting that “preschool and primary school age children are being taught this binary hate-based view of other people”.

The Kremlin’s use of Nazi-era language and tactics to demonise Ukraine and its allies was “a perversion of historical reality and truth,” Tesch said, and a reflection of “the intellectual and moral impoverishment that is so characteristic of Putin’s war of choice.”

He said the goal was likely to frame the invasion of Ukraine not as a geopolitical choice, but as a continuation of the Soviet Union’s historic fight against fascism.

One video included in the exhibition accuses Ukraine of bombing the Mariupol theatre – a claim that contradicts eyewitness testimony and international investigations which found Russian forces were responsible for the March 2022 attack that killed hundreds of civilians taking shelter there. Another scene falsely alleges that Ukrainian forces executed residents attempting to flee the besieged city.

The videos call on children to emotionally support Russia’s war effort, asking: “What do you think, how much time will the enemy need to move to the gates of our homes, unless our fathers and elder brothers stand in their way?”

The Kremlin included Australia on a list of so-called “unfriendly” countries in March 2022, after Canberra joined with other democratic nations to impose widespread sanctions and was accused by officials in Moscow of committing hostile actions against Russia, its companies and citizens.

The inclusion of Australia in the exhibition’s list of alleged Nazi sympathisers is particularly striking, given Canberra’s consistent support for Ukraine and condemnation of Russian aggression. Australia has provided more than $1 billion humanitarian and military aid to Kyiv since the full-scale Russian invasion began in 2022 and has joined international sanctions targeting the Russian economy and defence sector.

The EU’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, this week urged European leaders to reject invitations to attend May 9 military celebrations, calling instead for solidarity with Ukraine.

According to Russian state media, President Vladimir Putin’s government has invited the leaders of China, India and Brazil, along with Slovakia – an EU member – and Serbia, a candidate country for EU membership, to attend the commemorations in Moscow marking the Soviet Union’s 1945 victory.

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