In Russia, half of school classes will be devoted to military training - Bloomberg

Russian schoolchildren are being taught to wage the wars of the future. Compulsory classes for teenagers include studying the main types of weaponry, including machine guns, anti-tank weapons and hand grenades, as well as skills in providing emergency medical aid in field conditions and general military discipline. Bloomberg reports this, according to UNN.

Details

Although some of these skills were previously taught as part of limited modules in upper grades, the new version of the program expands this training to children aged 13 and older.

The updated curriculum, approved by the Ministry of Education, requires half of the weekly classes within the course "Fundamentals of the Security and Defense of the Homeland" to be devoted to basic military training. This is part of the gradual militarization of Russian schools, aimed at shaping a new generation of conscripts, while the Kremlin continues its war in Ukraine, which has already been ongoing for the fifth year

In addition to training in weapons handling and combat tactics, basic military training includes lessons on Russia’s national security doctrine and the structure of the armed forces. Students will also study mines and explosive hazards, first aid for combat injuries, chemical and radiation exposure and acute stress, as well as survival skills and procedures for operating in conflict zones.

The education reform effectively contributes to creating a flow of potential conscripts from schools into the army. This is reinforced by the involvement of combat veterans from the war in Ukraine in schools and kindergartens, where they speak with children, urging them to support Putin’s decision to launch the full-scale invasion in 2022

We remind you

Russia continues to scale up practices of militarizing children in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, turning teenagers into a mobilization resource for future wars.