Putin’s Pageant Propaganda Plan: Beauty Queens Influence Teenage Girls to Join Russian Military

Vladimir Putin has extended his propaganda efforts to target girls, urging both beauty queens and schoolgirls to become involved in the war in Ukraine, according to authorities.

Until recently, Russia’s propaganda machine has been targeted at boys. However, the country seems to be shifting its focus to girls, the Daily Star reported.

In the Primorsky region, schoolgirls ages 15 and 16 took part in “military-patriotic education” for the first time, according to the outlet.

Beauty pageant contestants in Belarus have been used to “inspire” girls and women to join the fight for Putin ally Alexander Lukashenko.

A group of 75 schoolgirls in Primorsky underwent military training, which covered fundamental aspects such as drilling, tactical exercises, firearm handling, physical fitness, as well as education on radiation, chemical, and biological protection, the Daily Star reported.

This was the first “female session” held at the Avangard center, but sources told the publication another 300 girls — and 1,000 boys — will enroll by the end of the year in demanding five-day classes that are seen as the first steps toward military careers or mobilization.

According to the Daily Star, 1.4 million people have enlisted in Putin's Yunarmia, also known as the Young Army, which has been accused of indoctrinating Russian youth into the military.

“Love of the Motherland, patriotism, and responsibility have always been instilled in young people, regardless of gender,” Primorsky senior education official Oksana Novikova told the female session. “You are the first in our female team, so I want to wish you good luck, patience and, of course, unlock your potential — go for it.”

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During the Miss Belarus 2023 pageant, contestants were forced to take part in a course on military instruction.

The Miss Top Model winner at the Miss Belarus 2023 contest, Nadezhda Tolstikova, said, “The impressions are simply amazing, I’ve already practiced shooting, I’ve shot with a rifle, and now it’s just...The smell of gunpowder…definitely, I shall return to shooting.”

It’s all about trying to glamorize the military, noted Colonel Sergei Grebennikov, deputy commander of dictator Lukashenko’s internal troops.

He added, “They will see with their own eyes what our strong, respectable guys are capable of.”