Russian schools introduce military training and drone classes

The Russian education system has undergone changes. Military training lessons have been added to the program, and classes on "basics of life safety" have been replaced with "basics of homeland security and defense."

According to the Tass agency, this change is reflected in the school year that began in 2024, which includes 18.5 million students. From the fifth grade, students will participate in lessons that include military training, crisis management, cybersecurity, and actions for civilian protection.

Classes for students in grades 8-11 will include tactical, fire-fighting, engineering, military-medical, and technical training. The youth will gain knowledge about the construction of firearms, military regulations, and learning to handle an AKM rifle, hand grenade, and building shelters. Russian Minister of Education Sergei Kravtsov mentioned to the "Argumenty i Fakty" portal that some lessons will be held at the Russian army's "Avangard" training centers.

The educational portal Repit highlights that the goal of the lessons "is to instill patriotism, teach students first aid skills, and teach students quick response in emergency situations." After graduation, students will "be able to join the ranks of homeland defenders," possessing basic knowledge that will help them adapt to military service more swiftly.

A new addition to the program is also the introduction of classes on designing and using unmanned aerial vehicles. The official newspaper of the Russian Duma, "Parlamentskaya Gazeta," reported in May 2024 that over 2,500 teachers have already undergone training.

The newspaper "Novye Izvestia" reported that drone lessons will be conducted in over 500 schools and 30 universities, and trained teachers, working with children, will be able to ensure "the integration of unmanned aerial systems with general and secondary vocational education programs (…) and directing (children - ed.note) to further education in their field of interest."

The BBC reported that program changes in Russian schools have occurred since the Ukraine war began in 2022. A tradition of raising the Russian flag was introduced, meetings with veterans of the "special operation," as the war in Ukraine is called in Russia, were instituted, and ideological lesson hours, "Conversations about important matters," were added.