Emphasizing the glory of Russia became a cherished goal of President Vladimir V. Putin when he started his third term in 2012. At the founding of the Military-Historical Society — modeled on the imperial version disbanded after the 1917 revolution — Mr. Putin pledged government support and exhorted the organization to defend the values of “patriotism and the sacred duty of defending our homeland, national dignity and loyalty to our roots.”

In contrast to Mr. Nikiforov, Mr. Medinsky eagerly acknowledged the Kremlin’s advice. “We very much need these kinds of orders from the Kremlin,” he said. “They are very correct.”

Mr. Medinsky’s father, Rostislav, an adviser on veterans’ affairs, summed up the historical society’s goals this month at an exhibition of paintings celebrating Russia’s annexation of Crimea last spring.

Image A painting of a modern unit of the Russian military, part of the exhibit in Moscow covering the history of the country's armed forces. Credit... James Hill for The New York Times

The Military-Historical Society “is solving one of the main ideological tasks of educating citizens in the spirit of the highest patriotism,” he said. “Because there where the land is not sown, grow weeds. There where there is no ideological motive, a vacuum forms and fascism raises its head.”

The society’s blockbuster show with Ivan the Terrible and others was held last fall at the Manège, a 19th-century exhibition hall just outside the Kremlin, and drew 250,000 people.

Called “My History. The Ruriks,” it celebrated the dynasty that ruled for about 700 years, starting around A.D. 900, over the areas that became the heartland of Russia. Critics say that Mr. Medinsky used the show to promote his own interpretation of a period of Russian history that is notoriously difficult to document.