Teachers from seven schools in the Voronezh Oblast took part in a patriotic master class on making tinfoil hats called “Helmet of the Fatherland”. The event was initiated by Belarusian activist Vladislav Bokhan, who sent an “order” allegedly on behalf of an official from “United Russia,” informs the publication “Meduza.” But the entire action actually turned out to be a prank, which once again proves the fear and silence of all intimidated public sector workers, who silently do whatever they are told, without criticizing a single word from “the top”, even if the instructions turn out to be completely absurd.
Bokhan, using ChatGPT, generated mock instructions for schools to make tinfoil hats. Teachers from 7 educational institutions joined the “action”: MKOU Bobrovsky Educational Center “Leader”, Krikshanskaya Secondary School No3, Kolodezyanskaya Secondary School, Novovoronezh Secondary School No1, Arkhangelsk Secondary School, as well as Baichurov and Nikolskaya Secondary Schools. One of the teachers even asked about a certificate for participation.
The activist explained his intention as follows. According to a fictional legend, NATO plans to irradiate the Russian population with electromagnetic pulses via satellites. And to counteract this, teachers made hats from foil, which were supposed to protect from this “threat from space”. This action was part of a sarcastic exploration of the level of obsession with conspiracy theories in a totalitarian society, based on Umberto Eco’s essay “Eternal Fascism”.
The Voronezh Oblast Ministry of Education later praised the teachers for their patriotic spirit, but admitted that schools need to better distinguish real initiatives from such jokes. The department’s Telegram channel reported that officials reminded teachers about the rules of information security.
Previously, we reported on the best space pranks in history.
