Russian state television has acted as a propaganda arm of the country's government throughout its invasion of Ukraine, extolling the virtues of the conflict and underplaying Moscow's losses in the campaign.
News and debate shows have helped to spread bombastic ideas and claims, such as that Russia would be able to destroy the U.S. in "one hour", that its neighbors are governed by Nazis, and that the invasion of Ukraine is a "starting point" in the war against "Satanism."
It is not just Russian news that has acted as a wellspring for propaganda either; in a viral clip spread on social media this week a group of children were shown singing on an entertainment show about their love of the Russian army and their desire to make "bombs out of dough."
The Claim
A post on X, formerly Twitter, by former Ukrainian Deputy Internal Affairs Minister Anton Gerashchenko, posted on February 6, 2024, viewed 885,900 times, included a video in which a group of children sang onstage in Russian.
"Soon I will grow up, And wanna be a military chemist, bombs out of dough I will make,— Russian army—it's waiting for me," subtitles read.
"Strong, courageous and valiant, strong in spirit and most important—army of ours—it will always protect, Army of ours is strong in spirit! Army of ours will always protect! Army of ours is strong in spirit!
Gerashchenko wrote alongside "'I will grow up to be a military chemist, I will make bombs out of dough'—a children's song in Russia.
"What Russia does to its children is a crime of its own."
The Facts
Newsweek has verified that the translation in the video is accurate.
Although the recording is almost six years old, it is a genuine, non-satirical video broadcast from Russian state television.
The children in the clip are from a performing school, Solovushka, described as an "Honored Collective of the Russian Federation" based in the Russian city of Ulyanovsk.
A press release about their appearance on the show states the song is called "Russian Army", written by sisters and associates of the school, Natalia and Irina Nuzhin. A translation of the Nuzhin sisters' websites states they are "singers, composers, members of the Russian Academy of Education" who "work closely with the armed forces of the Russian Federation."
The lyrics and sheet music for the song have been uploaded on Solovushka's website.
Their performance was broadcast on a February 2018 edition of Pole Chudes, or Field of Wonders, a Russian adaptation of Wheel of Fortune, shown on state-controlled television station Channel One. A high-quality version of the episode has been uploaded to Russian video site RuTube.
Solovushka continues to upload pro-Russian, pro-military performances via its YouTube channel. One video posted in April 2022 shows the child performers dressed in Soviet military uniform, singing in front of a gun placement, and recreating a scene from the Soviet winter offensive of World War II.
While Gerashchenko's post on X does not state that the video was recorded six years ago, which cannot be interpreted from the footage alone, it is nonetheless authentic.
Russian state television broadcast arguments from a guest on the debate show 60 Minutes in January that schoolchildren should be trained to fight in case they need to go to war.
In the 36-second clip, first broadcast on Russian state television channel "Rossia," the guest made references to Ukrainian claims that Russia is preparing for a second wave of mobilization.
The Kremlin has dismissed such claims.
The Ruling
True.
The video of Russian children singing "I will make bombs out of dough" is genuine, unsatirical footage from a 2018 game show. The children were part of a performance group, Solovushka, whose music regularly reflects pro-Russian and pro-army sentiments.
FACT CHECK BY Newsweek's Fact Check team
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
