Zhirinovsky's party, Russian "war reporters" to give propaganda classes in Ukraine's occupied parts

Russia announced the start of the project "Boris Maksudov School for Young War Reporters", which recruits schoolchildren and youth from Ukraine's temporarily occupied parts.

A cell of the Russian LDPR party announced the project on Telegram. The occupiers point out that this school is a joint project by the LDPR and "war correspondents".

The project was named after the late Russian propagandist, the so-called war reporter for "Russia 24", Boris Maksudov, who died on the way to the hospital after coming under fire in the Zaporizhia oblast, where he had arrived illegally.

The officials and propagandists invite high school pupils, students and young journalists to attend the classes for free; the project starts on February 10, 2024.

According to the Telegram channel, this is the project's second "season". The post says that during the month of training, the participants will learn about "the work of journalists who have practical experience in combat operation areas." The master classes will explain "the basic principles of a war reporter's work, the ins and outs of the job and life hacks developed over the years." The most proactive students are promised participation in an intensive course in Moscow (Russia) and an opportunity to talk to the "war reporters" personally.

In the application form, the participants must provide the following personal data: full name, age, region of residence, phone number linked to their Telegram account, their Telegram username, e-mail address, as well as links to their profiles on Vkontakte and Telegram. To sign up, you need to do a "test assignment", i.e. write a cover letter / post on why you want to participate and post it on your social media, adding the project's hashtag.

We will remind you that Boris Maksudov is a Russian propagandist. In 2014, he filmed reports on the annexation of Crimea by Russia. In recent years, he worked as a correspondent for the "Vesti" program of the VGTRK "Russia" and for the TV channel "Russia 24". Since the start of the full-scale invasion, he has been producing propaganda content from Ukraine. On November 22, 2023, Maksudov was filming a report in the Zaporizhzhia oblast, near Tokmak city. He was wounded by a drone strike and died the next day.

As reported by the ІМІ, the Russian occupiers opened an online "War Correspondent School" for volunteers from Ukraine's temporarily occupied territories and Russian citizens in late November 2023. The most "prominent" participants will be invited on a trip to the rear of the front line. Boris Maksudov was among the propagandists who were supposed to teach at the "school". The current school is recruiting children and students, including those from Ukraine's occupied territories.