“Mr. Nobody Against Putin”: How one Russian teacher tackles Kremlin propaganda

Shortly after Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, Karabash Elementary, like schools across Russia, was ordered to teach young minds a so-called “patriotic curriculum.” Pasha Talankin, the school’s videographer, was assigned to film the whole thing, to prove to the Russian government that the school was the best.

But as much as he loved his students, Talankin hated the war, and felt trapped. “I love my job, but I don’t want to be a bigot of the state,” he said.

Talankin hated the way his colleagues were forced to speak state propaganda, such as referring to Russia’s “special operation” in Ukraine as “de-Nazification.” So, he decided to record everything – not just for the government, but to show the world.

His work became the basis of the documentary, “Mr. Nobody Against Putin.” Talankin and the film’s American director, David Borenstein, spoke to “Sunday Morning” in our London office, ahead of this weekend’s Academy Awards, where their film has been nominated for an Oscar.

“When the teacher had to say that Ukraine has taken the path of neo-Nazism and neo-fascism, and we must ‘liberate it,’ at that moment I understood that I had no moral right to remove this thing,” said Talankin, “because it is part of the evidence of what is happening in Russian schools today.”

Borenstein said, “I don’t think Pasha knew, none of us knew, that this film was going to amount to anything when we made it.”

The two met online, and agreed to make a film. So for two years, Talankin kept shooting, while Borenstein directed remotely from Europe. He recorded everything: student rallies in support of the war; Putin’s Wagner Group shows up to offer weapons training; and on the day some of his students were recruited to fight in Ukraine.

“When Pasha picked up the camera, it was because he felt trapped in this Kafkaesque system,” Borenstein said. “He says this in the film: ‘Being a propagandist at this school is like walking a tightrope.’

The stakes were huge. Talankin could have faced life in prison if caught, especially since he kept attracting attention for small acts of rebellion, such as playing the “Star-Spangled Banner” instead of the Russian anthem over the school’s PA system.

Asked if he ever thought the Russian authorities were on him, Talankin replied, “Sometimes I thought so. In Russia you can’t. No one will call you; no one will knock on your door. They just watch, and then suddenly they break down the door, throw you on the floor, and the floor is the last thing you see in your house. That’s it; you’re gone.”

In the West, “Mr. Nobody Against Putin” is a success. It recently won best documentary at the BAFTAs (British Oscar). But in Russia, the Kremlin says it was too busy to watch.

Talankin’s mother, however, the librarian who appears in the film, was able to see it. “Well, we don’t talk about it directly,” Talankin said when asked about his reaction. “But he gave an interview to the New York Times and said he loved the film and was proud of it.”

However, in the end this whole practice turned out to be very dangerous. Talankin booked a fake holiday in Turkey, and escaped. Now in exile, he is an outspoken critic of a sometimes vindictive Russia. Asked how safe he felt, he replied, “Probably 80 percent safe.”

Talankin mourns the children he cares deeply about, and his future, he fears, has been poisoned by Putin’s national lies. Regarding the film, he says, “This is a very important document, because it shows what Russian society will be like in a few years. Putin may not be around anymore, but society will be worse, because propaganda entered schools and was taught to children.”

The film focuses on children, but reveals a lot about the photographer, too. Borenstein said, “To me, it’s a story about resilience. Everyone is faced with moral choices no matter where they are, and this is a story about what you do when there’s a government around you tearing down everything you’ve built for yourself.”

When the time came, Pasha Talankin did his moral choice, resistance. He is “Mr. No” no more.

To watch the trailer for “Mr. No One Against Putin.” Click the video player below:

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Story produced by Leigh Kiniry. Editor: Brian Robbins.

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