The Digester

Mr. Nobody Against Putin: Teacher’s Camera Exposes Kremlin School Lessons

Mar 15th 2026

An Oscar-nominated documentary follows Russian teacher Pasha Talankin as he secretly filmed pro-war lessons in schools after the invasion of Ukraine; the film, co-directed by David Borenstein, is the subject of reporting by Elizabeth Palmer.

  • Pasha Talankin, a Russian schoolteacher, secretly recorded classroom lessons that promoted the Kremlin narrative after Russia invaded Ukraine.
  • The footage was edited into the Oscar-nominated documentary Mr. Nobody Against Putin.
  • Talankin says he made the recordings as an act of moral resistance and now lives in exile.
  • Co-director David Borenstein helped turn the recordings into the film and journalist Elizabeth Palmer interviewed both men about the project.

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