Feelgood campaign for weary Russians

Life remains hard for many ordinary Russians

By the BBC's Caroline Wyatt in Moscow

Russia has launched a $6m campaign to boost the country's self-esteem and promote feelings of patriotism.

The government says that the growing poverty gap and the loss of spiritual values have led to the loss of traditional Russian patriotism.

Minsters believe that the demise of the Soviet Union's propaganda machine has left the country's youth in a vacuum.

The army is to join the campaign to boost patriotism

Russian self-esteem has taken a real battering over the past decade - from the shock of the collapse of the Soviet Union to recent national disasters such as the sinking of the Kursk.

Now the Kremlin has decided it is time for Russians to feel good about themselves.

It warns that the poverty gap has led to the gradual loss of traditional Russian patriotism.

Anthem restored

However, the Kremlin's plans to restore Russians' pride in their country sound ominously like a throwback to the old days.

President Putin has already restored the Soviet national anthem, albeit with new words, and brought back compulsory military training for boys and girls in school.

Now the army, schools and the media are to be mobilised to produce what are termed "military-patriotic activities".

Grinding poverty is only one factor behind Russia's loss of morale

State owned radio and TV stations are being told to fight any distortion of the fatherland's history, and produce patriotic calendars and souvenirs.

The media as a whole must favour positive role-models for different social groups.

One official has suggested that removing what he termed "Western filth" from television would be a step in the right direction.

He complained that Soviet youth once dreamed of becoming hero fighter-pilots, but today their role models were more likely to include drug-dealers and prostitutes.