Read previewFor years, Russia's youth has been fed hardline nationalistic ideology as the Kremlin has sought to engineer a new generation of Putin clones. AdvertisementState-run youth groups have also dramatically increased in size since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The group's head said it had opened around 40,000 offices across Russia as of December 2023, per Russia's state-run TASS news agency. DMITRY KOSTYUKOV/AFP via Getty ImagesThe various Academics fraternity cells are largely similar in style, though some display more extreme behavior than others. It's all part of "a much bigger campaign to target the next generation of Russian youth."

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