All Russian school children will learn how to operate combat drones as of September, according to the latest update from UK intelligence.
The UK’s ministry of defence claimed on Monday that Moscow was looking to create more “militarised patriotism” among the younger generations.
According to the MoD, Russian senator Artem Sheikin recently announced that school children across Russia will now learn “terrain reconnaissance” and how to counter enemy uncrewed vehicles (UAVs).
This is on top of the assault rifle training, hand grenade skills and combat first aid lessons which are set to reach the year 10 and year 11 curriculum.
It will all come under the revised so-called “Basics of Life Safety” syllabus, set to be rolled out (and “mandated”) from September 1, 2023, according to the UK intelligence.
But, the MoD suggested that this was not necessarily a bid to ready the younger generations for the military.
It claimed: “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.”
There’s been widespread speculation that support for the war among the Russian public is waning ever since the attempted rebellion from the mercenaries in the Wagner Group.
Although the bid to overthrow the Russian ministry of defence failed after an intervention from Belarus, the fighters did reportedly seize one Russian town with no pushback, suggesting the rebels are more popular than the Kremlin may have expected.
Discussing the new curriculum, the MoD continued: “The addition of UAV skills does highlight how Russia has identified the use of tactical UAVs in Ukraine as an enduring component of contemporary war.”
Drones have become a core weapon in the ongoing Ukraine invasion.
Early on Monday morning, Moscow alleged that Ukraine had used drones to attack two non-residential buildings, following a recent uptick in drone-controlled attacks within Russia.
Russia has also used drone missiles to target cities all over Ukraine over the course of the war.
The MoD’s claim about the new drone lessons comes shortly after Russia extended the draft age again for military personnel.
The Russian parliament decided to extend the maximum age of eligibility from 65 to 70 for high-ranking officers earlier in July, while compulsory military service has been extended for men aged between 18 and 30.
It’s unclear how many casualties have impacted the strength of Russian ranks since Vladimir Putin launched his invasion last year, because the Kremlin keeps its cards close to its chest.
Best, AP news agency reported that the first independent statistical analysis of Russia’s war dead found nearly 50,000 Russian men have died in the Ukraine war by early July.