New Russian map used in Udmurt schools
In Udmurtia, schools were obliged to display maps of the Russian Federation showing territories that are not de facto or de jure controlled by Russia.
At the request of prosecutors, courts in Udmurtia have issued a ruling ordering school geography classrooms to hang up maps depicting the Ukrainian-formed oblasts of Donetsk, Kherson, Lugansk and Zaporozhye as now part of the Russian Federation. For example, a court in the Mozhga district of the Republic of Udmurtia ordered all schools in the district to make changes to maps to reflect the integrity of the current Russian territory. ‘The lack of up-to-date maps in geography classes creates a risk of extremist manifestations’, the court ruling states.
In 2023, the State Duma amended Article 20.29 of the Administrative Offences Code ‘On the Preparation and Distribution of Extremist Materials’, which provides for fines and imprisonment for the distribution of ‘maps contesting the territorial integrity of Russia’. Citizens can be fined up to 3,000 roubles or imprisoned for 15 days, while legal persons can be fined up to 1 million roubles.
In 2014, the Russian Federation annexed Crimea and Sevastopol, and after a full-scale offensive that began in 2022, large parts of the Donetsk, Kherson, Lugansk and Zaporozhye oblasts have been annexed. As a result of an illegal referendum held in 2022, the Ukrainian territories were incorporated into the Russian Federation.
These changes are not recognised by most countries in the world.
