Twitter Users Roast Russia's Ministry Of Enlightenment For Its Name And Livestreamed Propaganda

Russia’s Ministry of Education livestreamed a lesson today for children in Russia explaining their government’s reasons for invading Ukraine. The name of the Russian Education Ministry, translated literally into English, is the "Ministry of Enlightenment," and people online had a field day with the very dystopian vibe that name gives off by posting reaction and memes en masse.

Responses to an initial tweet by the @KyivIndependent, a Ukrainian newspaper, included tweets comparing Russia’s Ministry of Enlightenment to Nazi Germany’s Ministry of Enlightenment, which similarly produced propaganda supporting the Holocaust and the Nazi war effort.

Other users posted curses against Vladimir Putin and the Russian military, as well as reaction image memes.

Other common reactions compared the name “Ministry of Enlightenment” to the names George Orwell gave government ministries in his dystopian novel 1984, while some readers compared the “Ministry of Enlightenment” to what they’d read in the Harry Potter series, and were mocked for it.

While the level of public opposition or support for the war among Russians is difficult to gauge, the Ministry of Enlightenment’s live lesson shows the Russian government is certainly concerned about shaping the narrative Russian children consume. Sanctions have already hit everyday Russians particularly hard, leading to high inflation, a run on banks and a decrease in the availability of many products. There have also been thousands of arrests of street protestors, and some celebrities and oligarchs have even spoken out against the war.

As the war continues, so do the attempts of various governments to control its narrative and convince both their own citizens and those living abroad of a particular version of events. Whether the Russian government will be successful in this latest effort to “enlighten” its citizens remains an open question.