At a school outside Bryansk, about 350 miles southwest of Moscow, the principal sat down last week with a class of students to talk about anti-corruption activist and opposition leader Alexey Navalny. Principal Kira Gribanovskaya drops some truth bombs on her foolish pupils. Photo: Alexey Navalny Why the sudden heart-to-heart? Police had just grabbed Maxim Losyev, one of the school’s students, straight out of the classroom for urging classmates to attend an unsanctioned demonstration on March 26 calling for an investigation into corruption allegations against Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. Losyev also created a student group in support of Alexey Navalny, whose Anti-Corruption Foundation published an investigation earlier this month accusing Medvedev of masterminding a vast and illicit private empire. In an effort to prevent further activism, the school’s principal — reportedly a woman named Kira Petrovna Gribanovskaya, referring to herself in the third person — discouraged the class from supporting Navalny, and even questioned the room’s intelligence and patriotism, when students challenged her assertion that Russia is in the middle of a “civil war.” One of the students recorded the meeting with Gribanovskaya, and leaked the footage on social media. This weekend, the news site Meduza transcribed the nine-minute encounter. You can read the Russian transcript here, and listen to the Russian audio below. Principal: Raisa Aleksandrova [the homeroom teacher], may I say something? This is for those who have taken an interest in Navalny’s activities: Okay, he proposes that we smear our top leaders. He says, “No to corruption” and so on. But what specific actions does he propose? Assemble for a protest? Tell [Medvedev] what a jerk he is? Student 1: He just wants answers. He filmed a video about Medvedev, and he wants answers from the authorities. Principal: And so what? Student 1: And the authorities are silent. Principal: No, hold on. If you film a video about Kira Petrovna, and write about how she’s this way and that way, how she’s not doing her job, and how there are cockroaches running around all over the school, and you come out to protest, demanding answers — do you think I’ll come out to have a conversation with you? Student 2: No. Principal: And he [Medvedev] won’t, either! It’s a joke! A political platform is about concrete actions: strengthening the economy, developing various plans. What Navalny is doing is a pure provocation. Do you get it? You still don’t understand this. I’ll tell you this straight: right now, our economic situation is very unstable. It’s an economic pit. And why’s all this happening? You’ve taken social studies and all that. You know that we’re basically living under an economic blockade in this country. But I want to hear what you think. What’s going on right now? Student 2: A crisis. Principal: And what’s causing this crisis? [Unintelligible voices] Student 2: Sanctions, the European Union, this whole blockade. Principal: One more time — what’s the cause? The European Union, right? And our leader is managing a very stable and very strong policy. He has an enormously high rating on the world stage. Due to what? Due to foreign policy. [Russia’s] domestic policy, of course, is rather weak. Why? Well, because there’s no money. And we’re feeling that now, most of all… Student 2: And what exactly is our foreign policy? America is against us. Europe is against us. Principal: And why’s that? Tell me: what’s the reason? Student 2: Because of Crimea. We basically took it. Principal: And do you think that’s bad? Homeroom teacher: But did we really take it? There was a referendum there… Principal: Okay, tell me what happened, from your point of view. I actually want to know. Tell me. Maybe there’s some side to this that I don’t know. Student 2: I mean, why did they impose sanctions against us? Principal: You just answered your own question a moment ago. Homeroom teacher: As a show of force. Because they wanted to show their strength. Student 2: Because of Crimea. Principal: You know why… And why did the whole war in Ukraine start in the first place? Student 2: Well, because of the revolution… Principal: Because of the what? Student 2: The transition of power. Principal: Kid, you haven’t read anything about this and you don’t know a thing. You’ve got some very superficial knowledge here. What started this whole conflict? Maybe it was because America stuck its nose in? Student 2: It didn’t intervene openly. [Unintelligible voices] Principal: And Crimea up and went where? And how did America react to this? Student 2: Did you see American troops in Ukraine? Principal: And did you see Russian troops in Ukraine? Student 2: Yes. There are videos going around — you have no idea.