Press Release, 20.10.2023

Photo: Ruslan Zinatullin / Photo by the Yabloko Press Service

On 19 October, the State Council of the Republic of Tatarstan adopted in the first reading the bill “On the Patriotic Education of Citizens in the Republic of Tatarstan,” which was developed so that to determine a “unified approach” to patriotic education by the order of Farid Mukhametshin, the Speaker of the parliament of Tatarstan. Ruslan Zinatullin, the leader of the regional branch of the Yabloko party, warned deputies from the rostrum of the State Council that “teaching violence and its normalisation increases violence in society”.

Yabloko together with other representatives of non-parliamentary parties were invited to discuss the bill on patriotic education. Most of the representatives recalled the experience of the USSR. Ruslan Zinatullin noted in his speech that militaristic practices were often passed off as patriotism.

“Imposing of militaristic concepts neuroticises many children, especially younger ones, and this can lead to unpredictable consequences in the future,” Zinatullin noted.

The leader of the Tatarstan Yabloko also added that patriotic education should not diverge from reality. “If our citizens fight for fair elections, then they are appointed as foreign agents. If your position does not coincide with that of the authorities, you may be recognised as a foreign agent,” Zinatullin said.

The bill on patriotic education was supported unanimously by the deputies of the State Council; the State Council Speaker Farid Mukhametshin said that “fundamental values were supported by all political forces in our country”.