Russian Filmmaker Labeled 'Traitor' by Former Teacher Over Anti-War Documentary

Pavel Talankin, the filmmaker behind the Oscar-winning "Mr. Nobody Against Putin," has been labeled a traitor by his former teacher for his documentary work. The film documented how a Russian school attempted to justify the war in Ukraine to its students.

Talankin, who fled Russia in 2024, recorded two years of footage at a school in the Chelyabinsk region where he was employed. The documentary reveals how the school's atmosphere changed after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. It depicts teachers using history lessons and patriotic activities to indoctrinate students, justifying the war and instilling patriotism.

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I wanted to watch the documentary, to see what did Pashka film. But it turned out that Pashka had decided to turn his back on his motherland. Isn't that a betrayal? Isn't that an evil?

Talankin defended his film as a crucial record for posterity, aiming to show the world how "an entire generation became angry and aggressive" through indoctrination. However, Nina Zabugornova, identified as Talankin's first teacher, expressed her dismay in an interview with Russian state TV. She described Talankin as an ordinary boy and questioned his actions, asking, "But it turned out that Pashka had decided to turn his back on his motherland. Isn't that a betrayal? Isn't that an evil?"

In March, Russian authorities designated Talankin as a foreign agent, subjecting him to strict bureaucratic requirements. Zabugornova, who taught for four decades, even blamed herself for Talankin's perceived betrayal, stating, "So I think that when he was little, when all these things were being formed in him, I must have overlooked something somewhere, didn't give him enough good lessons."

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So I think that when he was little, when all these things were being formed in him, I must have overlooked something somewhere, didn't give him enough good lessons.