In over 500 schools in Russia, children and teenagers are taught the operation and technical basics of unmanned aerial vehicles. In addition, similar training takes place in 30 colleges with practical training centers, the UK Ministry of Defense reports in a new report based on intelligence data, writes UNN.
Details
"According to open sources, Russian children and youth are being taught and trained in the operation and technical basics of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) in over 500 schools in Russia, as well as in 30 colleges with practical training centers," the report says.
The British Ministry of Defense reported that more than 2,500 teachers have been trained to teach in this field. These actions, it is indicated, are part of the intention announced in May 2024 by the Minister of Education and Science of Russia, Valery Falkov, to train one million UAS control specialists by 2030.
"On June 12, 2025, Russian President Putin also reportedly stated that a separate unit of specialized unmanned aerial systems forces within the Russian armed forces is currently being developed and deployed," the report says.
"The training and instruction of Russian children and youth in the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is a notable step in the very likely continued militarization of Russian education, which has intensified since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022," the UK Ministry of Defense noted.
"Along with Putin's stated statement, this also highlights the constantly growing importance of UAVs in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, as well as Russia's almost certain intention to significantly increase both its proficiency in using UAVs and the volume and scale of its capabilities in the long term," the British Ministry of Defense reported.
Addition
As reported, the Kremlin's propaganda project "Conversations about important things" has been extended to kindergartens since September 1, with lessons justifying the "SVO" and glorifying Russian military personnel.