Sawt Falasteen - Russia rallies support for army with 'patriotic' tourist routes

His "Battle on the Ice" exposition is only made up of a few rooms, but has seen a surge in visitors since its inclusion on a list of "patriotic" tourist routes published by local authorities.

It is one aspect of how Russia has sought to promote pride in its history and military conquests across public life since launching its Ukraine offensive in 2022.

Authorities have launched more than 140 "patriotic" tourist routes since 2023, many aimed at highlighting historic victories by the Russian empire and Soviet Union.

"Our museum is small, but recently we've been welcoming around 5,500 visitors a year," said 80-year-old Potresov, who moved from Moscow to the village of Samolva more than a decade ago to found the museum.

"The Battle on the Ice brought to a close what was history's first clash between Russia and the collective West," he added, using a term the Kremlin regularly employs to describe Moscow's NATO and European enemies.

Among the exhibits on display at the museum are maps and replica helmets that schoolchildren are encouraged to try on.

A teacher accompanying the class told AFP that they were visiting as part of a "patriotic education" assignment set by her school -- tasks that have become increasingly commonplace since Moscow launched its Ukraine offensive.

"Next we're going to see the monument to Alexander Nevsky on the shores of Lake Peipus," she added, referring to a 15-metre-tall statue of the battle's victor, inaugurated by President Vladimir Putin in 2021.

"The children love it," she added.

Fought in 1242 over a frozen lake straddling what is now Russia and Estonia, the Battle on the Ice resulted in a decisive victory for Prince Alexander Nevsky of Novgorod, halting the eastward expansion of the Catholic Teutonic order.

The battle was the subject of film director Sergei Eisenstein's 1938 classic "Alexander Nevsky".

- 'Why go anywhere else?' -

Since launching its military offensive on Ukraine in 2022, the Kremlin has driven money into art exhibits that glorify the Russian army and adopted a school curriculum that focuses on Russian military prowess.

The 140 or so "patriotic" tourist routes -- created following an order from Putin in 2023 -- often follow the sites of battles won by the Russian army, from the conquests of Peter the Great to World War II.

The routes will eventually form part of a "patriotic ring" of tourist sites designed to stretch across Russia and annexed areas of east Ukraine.

"Patriotic education plays a major role in our lives today," said Kristina Kobyz, chair of the Pskov Tourism Committee in western Russia.

"Alexander Nevsky (is) a figure who is inextricably linked to the history of not just the Pskov region, but the entire Russian Federation," she added.

Some people needed no extra encouragement.

Dmitry Zhukov, a 37-year-old, has ridden thousands of kilometres across the country by bicycle and is starting a new 10,000-kilometre (about 6,200-mile) journey from Pskov -- near the Estonian border -- to Vladivostok in the Far East.

"I tend to focus more on nature. But there's plenty to see in the cities too," he told AFP.

Among the monuments he has visited are The Motherland Calls, a giant statue of a personified Mother Russia overlooking the city of Volgograd, formally known as Stalingrad and the site of a crucial WWII victory.

"When I visited the Motherland Calls memorial, the music and the whole atmosphere, it really gets to you, your voice starts to tremble, and it brings tears to your eyes," he said.

For many Russians, travelling inside the country is their only choice.

Western countries blocked direct flights from Russia in the wake of the Ukraine war, while many nations in the European Union have curbed tourist visas for Russians.

In 2025, the number of tourist trips within the country reached nearly 174 million, an increase of more than 40 percent compared to 2021, according to analysts at state lender Sberbank.

Irina, a doctor from Krasnodar, is one of them.

"Why go anywhere else when you can find everything right here?" the 59-year-old told AFP on a visit to a 14th-Century fortress in the town of Izborsk.

"I've never been to Europe, but I don't think there's any need to go anywhere else."

L.AbuTayeh--SF-PST