Teenage influencers churn out pro-war content

WARSAW, Poland (AFP) — Russia is trying to produce more pro-war influencers through content creation camps, training teenagers to spread the Kremlin’s hardline, anti-West narrative to the next generation.

Since invading Ukraine in 2022, Moscow has ramped up control of the domestic information space, outlawing criticism of the offensive through strict military censorship laws, throttling foreign media outlets and pushing its agenda across society.

Schools and young people have been targeted — curricula and textbooks changed to include Russia’s justification for its invasion and soldiers dispatched to whip up pro-war enthusiasm in the classroom.

At one content creation camp in early April, more than 120 teenagers, clad in green sweaters and red berets, gathered in Moscow for lectures from soldiers and state media reporters on how to produce videos, use artificial intelligence and build audiences.

“We have created a huge team of kids, who understand how to broadcast government values and our organization’s values,” Vladislav Golovin, a former soldier and chief of the general staff of Russia’s Young Army cadets movement, said in a statement released by the group.

In a promotional video from the event, children were shown cheering a cadet racing against Golovin to see who could reload a sniper rifle the fastest.

Another organization, the Movement of the First, runs competitions offering rewards for teenagers with the best blogs and biggest followings.