A Russian teacher’s quiet defiance against state propaganda, captured in an Oscar-nominated documentary, reveals the personal risks of dissent under Putin’s regime.

A Russian schoolteacher, Pavel "Pasha" Talankin, became the subject of the Oscar-nominated documentary *Mr Nobody Against Putin*, which reveals his quiet resistance to state propaganda after being forced to film patriotic school events following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Initially an unassuming educator in Karabash, Talankin’s defiance began with a social media post that caught the attention of Danish filmmaker David Borenstein, who collaborated remotely to create a raw, first-person film using unedited footage of Talankin’s daily life. The documentary, which won the BAFTA for best documentary, offers rare insight into how Russia’s education system promotes loyalty and suppresses dissent, highlighting the personal risks of challenging authoritarian control.