Russia Training Schoolchildren to Develop ‘Militarized Patriotism’

Russia’s decision to start teaching schoolchildren the fundamentals of how to use combat drones is part of a wider effort to “cultivate a culture of militarised patriotism,” British Defence Intelligence has said.

As reported by Kyiv Post last week, the new skills will be introduced into the school curriculum from Sept. 1 and will cover the study of all elements of the purpose, design, technical features operational and tactical use of a number of military drones and how to counter attacks by enemy drones. 

The British Ministry of Defence (MoD) said the lessons will join “assault rifle training, hand grenade skills and combat first aid in the revised ‘Basics of Life Safety’ syllabus for year 10 and 11 students.”

It adds: “Russia’s renewed emphasis on military induction for children is largely an effort to cultivate a culture of militarised patriotism rather than develop genuine capability.”

Earlier, the Russian edition of The Moscow Times, with reference to the expert of the Main Military-Political Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation Mikhail Borodin, talked about a five-day military training program, after which a high school student can become a full-fledged participant in military operations in the war against Ukraine.

The program developed by the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation is primarily designed to train high school students on the basis of the Avangard training centers for military-patriotic education of youth.

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"Classes of nine training modules: tactical training, fire training, the subject" Fundamentals of technical training and communication "was first introduced, in which students get acquainted with the equipment of the armed forces, with the basics of controlling unmanned aerial vehicles, communication work," Borodin said.

Before that, the State Duma allowed adult school graduates to sign an agreement on contract service in the army.