RIGA, Latvia - When classes begin next month, Russian high-schoolers will get fresh history textbooks rewritten to carry Kremlin-approved narratives about the "special military operation" in Ukraine and rivalry with the West - part of a wider government effort to shape how young generations of Russians think about the war and Russia's place in the world.
The new manuscript - aimed at graduating 17-year-olds and covering the time-period from 1945 until now - blames the United States for the ongoing war in Ukraine and includes a quote from President Vladimir Putin in which he falsely asserts that: "Russia did not start any military actions but is trying to end them."