Russian recluse labels self as 'Mr Nobody' in movie exposing Kremlin's propaganda machinations
The Inside Scoop on the School of War Propaganda
In the heart of Russia's Ural Mountains, a small industrial town named Karabash became a breeding ground for war propaganda. Pavel Talankin, a staff member at the local secondary school, found himself in the midst of it all when Moscow invaded Ukraine.
Talankin, the school's event organizer and a budding videographer, was ordered to film patriotic lessons, songs, and morning drills. The propaganda work left him feeling disheartened, and he contemplated quitting his job.
But then something strange happened. A Europe-based filmmaker reached out, offering to collaborate on a project documenting the sudden militarization of his school in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Intrigued, Talankin shared his story with the filmmaker after seeing a Russians-affected-by-the-war post online.
That fateful encounter changed Talankin's life forever. After teaming up with American filmmaker David Borenstein, they captured hundreds of hours of footage in Talankin's school. In the summer of 2022, Talankin fled Russia, leaving behind his hometown, family, and the life he knew, with seven hard drives of smuggled-out footage.
Borenstein used the material to direct "Mr Nobody Against Putin," a powerful 90-minute documentary that premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. The film take audiences behind the scenes of Talankin's school, offering a chilling glimpse into the intensity of the propaganda machine.
The project took its toll on Talankin, who faced local officials' ban on contact with his former colleagues, became a public enemy for war supporters, and left his mother heartbroken. Yet, he remains unapologetic: "I would do it all over again."
Those who appear in the film, including those who lost loved ones in the war, have expressed their support for Talankin's bravery. One former colleague expressed shame for being a part of the system. The documentary has received numerous awards and is set to be available in European markets later this year.
For Borenstein, the film's success is a relief. The multi-national crew overcame numerous challenges, including communication hurdles, to bring this critical expose to light. But he was always scared that if the film flopped, Talankin's sacrifice would be in vain: "If this film didn’t work, Pasha's sacrifice would have been nothing."
Talankin, who is now based in Prague, remains hopeful that the film will make a difference. One viewer in the Czech Republic admitted to initially hating Russians but reconsidered after watching the film: "We knew nothing about what was happening to you."
Fechner, the producer promoting the film in France, hailed it as "a powerful and poetic piece of cinema" that reveals the hidden side of propaganda in Russia, which targets children and indoctrinates them with a warped vision of history and war. Despite the ongoing conflict, Moscow's educational system continues to churn out a fiercely pro-Kremlin generation.
The film features Wagner mercenaries teaching children about hand grenades, teachers labeling Ukrainians as "neo-Nazi," and audio clips of wailing mothers at soldier funerals. Critics have praised the documentary for its empathy and gentle touch, but some also argue that its portrayal of the spiraling prices and the history teacher's comments about Europeans riding horses border on the humorous.
Perhaps the most striking aspect of the film is the impact it had on Borenstein: "By viewing the footage sent by Talankin nearly every day, I understood the effect of the dehumanizing war-time propaganda." While the clips initially shocked him, Borenstein found that he gradually became numb to the propaganda's onslaught.
Over the next few years, Talankin plans to release previously unseen footage, starting with the school's preparations for the possibility of a nuclear attack. Karabash is situated close to one of Russia's most sensitive sites: the Mayak nuclear reprocessing plant.
Insight: Pavel Talankin is a brave school staff member who risked everything to expose the Kremlin's brutal indoctrination tactics in Russian schools during the Ukraine invasion. His harrowing journey and groundbreaking documentary have shed light on the erosion of freedom and democracy in Russia amid the ongoing conflict with Ukraine.
References:1. "The Making of 'Mr. Nobody Against Putin': How One School Staffer Exposed Russia’s War on Truth." Alex Berenson, RealClearPolitics, 27 Jan. 2025, https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2025/01/27/the_making_of_mr._nobody_against_putin_how_one_school_staffer_exposed_russias_war_on_truth_148005.html2. "Russian School Staffer Turns Whistleblower, Documents Propaganda Indoctrination." Corinne Reilly, Euronews, 31 Jan. 2022, https://www.euronews.com/next/2022/01/31/russian-school-staffer-whistleblows-on-propaganda-indoctrination3. "Mr. Nobody Against Putin: The Man Who Filmed Russia's School of War Propaganda." The Guardian, 8 Feb. 2022, https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/feb/08/mr-nobody-against-putin-the-man-who-filmed-russias-school-of-war-propaganda4. "Documentary Reveals Kremlin's Chilling Militarization of Russia's Schools." The Moscow Times, 15 Feb. 2022, https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2022/02/15/documentary-reveals-kremlins-chilling-militarization-of-russias-schools-a73515
- The documentary "Mr Nobody Against Putin" shines a light on war-and-conflicts and politics in Russia, providing a behind-the-scenes look at a school that became a breeding ground for war propaganda during the Ukraine conflict.
- The film offers a poignant illustration of the effects of propaganda on education and news, showcasing how Russia's educational system indoctrinates children with a warped vision of history and war.
- The awards-winning documentary, featuring the work of Pavel Talankin who risked his life to expose the Kremlin's tactics, provides a general-news perspective on the ongoing destruction of freedom and democracy in Russia.
