On the Media – "A Win For Mr. Nobody!"
Podcast: On the Media (WNYC Studios)
Episode Date: March 18, 2026
Main Theme:
This episode examines the Oscar-winning documentary Mr. Nobody Against Putin, focusing on the mechanisms and consequences of propaganda in Russian schools amid the war in Ukraine. Through an in-depth conversation with the documentary's protagonist, Pasha Telenkin, the show unpacks the incremental loss of freedoms, the roles of teachers and administrators, and the powerful consequences of resisting state-sanctioned narratives. The episode provides a cautionary lens for international listeners, highlighting the broader implications of media manipulation and apathy.
Episode Overview
On the Media revisits Brooke Gladstone's interview with Pasha Telenkin, the central figure in Mr. Nobody Against Putin, following the documentary's Oscar win. The conversation reveals how state propaganda suffuses the Russian educational system post-2022, and how one individual's decision to document and resist these pressures became a story the world would recognize.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Context: State Propaganda in Russian Schools
- Background: Pasha Telenkin, known as "Mr. Nobody," served as a videographer and events director at a primary school in Karabash, Russia.
- Shift after 2022: Following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, schools received strict government mandates to indoctrinate children, rewriting history and scripting every lesson.
- "[Directives] started arriving at school with literally scripts for every class and what the teacher should say...and also video material...they were supposed to include in their classes." – Pasha Telenkin [04:54]
- Role of Teachers: Teachers were enlisted to perpetuate these narratives, under surveillance and pressure to conform.
2. Documenting Dissent
- Decision to Film: Pasha, already responsible for filming school events, quietly documented these propagandistic exercises.
- "I understood that I didn't even morally have the right to delete this footage because I was capturing a very specific era in our country." – Pasha [06:13]
- Subversive Acts: Pasha tested the system's surveillance by submitting incomplete footage, discovering no one actually reviewed the entirety.
- “I filmed a whole lesson, 45 minutes...but then I only included the first few minutes and the last few minutes... Nobody said, there's something wrong with your lesson.” – Pasha [06:31]
3. Personal Motivation & Family History
- Roots of Resistance: Family stories of state persecution, shared at cemeteries by Pasha's mother, instilled a sense of obligation to bear witness.
- “Someday she's not gonna be here. And then who's gonna tell these stories?... I just felt this compulsion to just do something.” – Pasha [08:12]
- Community Signals: Small acts, like playing Lady Gaga's version of the U.S. national anthem or placing X's on windows, became subtle signals of resistance.
- “When they saw all of that, it was like a signal to them that the school is not completely lost, that there are people that you can talk to.” – Pasha [08:49]
4. Risks and Consequences
- Legal Dangers: Collaboration with foreign journalists became a prosecutable offense. Pasha decided to proceed regardless.
- “On the one hand, I knew that working with an American director, I could get in a lot of trouble. But...I felt like I had an obligation to work with him and share this material.” – Pasha [11:46]
- Surveillance and Exile: After days of police observation, Pasha fled Russia. The fear wasn't theoretical.
- “They're going to show up in the middle of the night and yank you out of your bed...and then they're going to say, look, here is all of the correspondence that we have of you and this other person.” – Pasha [16:56]
5. The Power and Limits of Community
- Student Impact: Featured students (notably Masha and Vanya) navigated war's impact on their families and choices.
- “Let's imagine that Masha's brother is dying from cancer...But imagine that in school, Masha is asked to write poems in praise of cancer...and is forced to celebrate all the time this wonderful thing, cancer.” – Pasha [15:51]
- Support and Resistance: Though authorities sought to punish Pasha, locals largely refused to turn on him.
- “A journalist came to Karabash...They left with absolutely no material because everybody refused to go with them and be filmed filing complaints. Isn't that cool?” – Pasha [19:33]
6. Reflections for a Global Audience
- Relevance Beyond Russia: American teachers expressed concern at film screenings, recognizing troubling parallels in their own education systems.
- “Teachers have come up to me clutching their hearts and saying, we're just a little bit away from that here ourselves.” – Pasha [20:24]
- The Cumulative Cost of Silence: The film, and Pasha's story, serve as warnings against apathy and self-censorship.
- “Look what awaits you if you are apolitical, if you are weak, if you give in to self censorship.” – Brooke Gladstone [19:56]
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- On Complicity:
- “You lose your country...through countless small little acts of complicity.” – David Borenstein, director (quoted at the top, [00:36])
- On Surveillance and Symbolism:
- “I realized that I was there to be the government, the signal for the teachers, watch out, we're here watching you.” – Pasha [07:15]
- On Forced Celebration:
- “Imagine...in school, Masha is asked to write poems in praise of cancer...and is forced to celebrate all the time this wonderful thing, cancer.” – Pasha [15:51]
- On Home:
- “A turtle can't help but love its shell...all around those black mountains is such an incredibly green forest...the people there, they love me, too.” – Pasha [18:01]
- On the Film's Message:
- “This film is about what little steps we have from your school desk to your grave is only one step. And there's another step and that's from the teacher's desk to the Oscar shortlist.” – Pasha [20:38]
Key Timestamps for Major Segments
- 00:00–01:25: Introduction, context for the documentary and its recent Oscar win
- 03:21–06:13: Pasha describes his job and early impacts of the war at the school
- 07:01–08:49: The psychological toll on teachers and Pasha’s decision to resist
- 09:33–10:09: Symbolic acts of resistance in the school environment
- 12:05–13:22: Interactions with pro-government teachers and the influx of Wagner mercenaries in schools
- 14:44–16:44: Student stories and parental reactions to the film
- 16:44–18:56: Pasha’s decision to leave Russia and his conflicted feelings about home
- 19:56–20:48: Lessons for global audiences and the danger of complacency
Conclusion
This episode of On the Media is a powerful exploration of how authoritarian propaganda seeps into everyday life, as seen through the eyes of an "ordinary" school staffer willing to take extraordinary risks. The story of Mr. Nobody Against Putin warns of what is lost through silence and reveals the courage found in simple acts of witness and resistance—providing a cautionary reflection for societies everywhere.