History Textbooks by Vladimir Medinsky Declared Erroneous 0 9

Practicing school teachers have sent a record number of comments and complaints regarding factual errors in new history textbooks prepared under the guidance of Vladimir Medinsky — an aide to Vladimir Putin and the author of the concept of a "additional chromosome in the Russian people." This was reported by "Kommersant" citing a statement from the scientific director of the Institute of Universal History of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Academician Alexander Chubaryan.

Speaking at a conference of the Russian Military Historical Society (RVIO), Chubaryan, who is a co-editor of the series of textbooks, noted that the volume of criticism was extraordinarily high. "Usually, teachers write some small suggestions. Here we received very detailed feedback. It is enough to say that one teacher sent 25–30 pages of comments on each universal history textbook for grades 5–9," the academician said. According to him, educators pointed out not only factual inaccuracies but also suggested changing the methodological approaches to the presentation of events.

In light of the complaints received, the secretary of the working group on textbook preparation, Vladislav Kononov, and Vladimir Medinsky stated that updated versions of the textbooks are planned to be released in Russia in 2026. For grades 5–9, this will be the second edition in two years, and for grades 10–11, the third in three years.

The scientific director of RVIO, Mikhail Myagkov, clarified that the new editions will include sections on the Sochi Olympics, the 2018 FIFA World Cup, and the COVID-19 pandemic period, but the "main focus" will be on the "causes of the special military operation." Kononov added that the textbooks will conclude with a description of the meeting between President Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in Anchorage in 2025.

These textbooks, created at Putin's request, have been entering schools since 2023. As Vladimir Medinsky noted earlier, they contain "significantly fewer numbers, dates, statistics" and are "easier to read." In the past, the textbooks have already caused serious disputes. In 2023, the authorities of Chechnya and a number of public organizations demanded to ban or rewrite the textbook for grades 10–11 due to a paragraph on Stalin's deportations, where the repressed peoples were mentioned "alongside the Bandera supporters and Vlasovites." After that, Medinsky began to justify himself, stating that the chapter was "taken from old editions and not finalized," and the Ministry of Education soon reported the introduction of corresponding corrections.