The Russian state is rapidly intensifying the militarization of higher education, increasingly integrating educational institutions into its war machine. This is reported by the Center for Countering Disinformation of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (CCD), informs UNN.
Details
It is noted that alongside the mass recruitment of students into unmanned military units, the Russian authorities are moving to direct coercion: from September 1, 2026, a mandatory basic course on unmanned systems will be introduced in all transport higher education institutions of the Russian Federation.
This program covers 19 specialized universities and 86 of their branches across the country. This means that at least 150,000 university students (and together with colleges - over 250,000 young people) are now required to master skills that the aggressor state seeks to use later in the war against Ukraine
There, they point out that such steps once again confirm that the current Russian authorities are absolutely not interested in education or human development.
"The state does not need qualified specialists capable of critical thinking. The Russian education system today functions solely as a conveyor belt that turns students into a obedient human resource and 'cannon fodder' for war," summarize at the CCD.
Recall
In Russia, the authorities are reducing access to higher education while simultaneously expanding incentives for joining the army, effectively pushing young people to choose military service over education.