Kaliningrad school cleaner threatens teacher over foreign flags

In a school in Kaliningrad, Russia, a cleaner named Irina reportedly threatened an English teacher, Valeriya Kuznetsova, after the teacher displayed a British flag as a teaching aid. The cleaner, who identifies as the mother of a veteran from the ‘special military operation’ (SVO), allegedly threatened to bring SVO veterans to the school to ‘explain’ which teaching aids are appropriate.

Kuznetsova stated this was not the first conflict, noting that the cleaner had previously removed flags from the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and the United States, claiming that children should only learn under the Russian flag. While the flags were eventually returned following a discussion with the school principal, the teacher has not felt comfortable re-hanging them.

The incident occurs amid broader shifts in the Russian education system, where English language instruction is being reduced due to its status as a language of ‘unfriendly countries,’ while emphasis is being placed on Chinese language studies.