Russian Kids Will Learn to Operate Combat Drones in School

Russian officials on Friday announced students in the country's high schools will soon begin taking classes on how to operate unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for combat as part of their curriculum.

Artem Sheikin, a senator from Russia's Amur region who proposed the courses on military drones, told Russia's state-run news agency RIA Novosti that the classes will begin in schools on September 1.

RIA Novosti reported that a statement provided by Russia's First Deputy Minister of Defense Ruslan Tsalikov said the program will teach students the fundamentals of "terrain reconnaissance and enemy unmanned aerial vehicle combat methods." The statement noted that the program had been approved by Russia's education ministry.

"The current army is not just a Kalashnikov assault rifle, but also advanced unmanned vehicles," Sheikin said, according to the news agency.

Drones have emerged as an important weapon for both sides in the Russia-Ukraine war that began last February, with Moscow making heavy use of UAVs this week. On Thursday, Russia targeted Ukrainian port cities with drone strikes and missiles for the third consecutive night following Monday's Ukrainian drone strike on the Kerch Strait Bridge in Crimea.

The plan for drone classes follows Russia's previous announcement that schools would soon start having a course on the use of assault rifles and hand grenades. Russian Education Minister Sergey Kravtsov told the Kremlin-backed news agency Tass in January that this military training curriculum was already being tested and would be implemented in secondary schools on September 1.

In an intelligence update on January 29, the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defense (MOD) provided details on the new "Basics of Life Safety" course introduced by Kravstov. The ministry said that in addition to weapons training, Russian students would learn "military drill and salutes," as well as how to use personal protective equipment (PPE).

"The initiatives highlight the increasingly militarized atmosphere in wartime Russia, as well as being a (likely deliberate) evocation of the Soviet Union: similar training was mandatory in schools up to 1993," the British intelligence update said at the time.

Newsweek reached out to the Russian Ministry of Defense via email for comment.

The news of the drone-training classes comes after reports emerged this week that Russia has increased efforts to recruit women to fight in defense units near the country's border with Ukraine. The country also passed a law on Tuesday that extended the maximum age to 70 at which men can be mobilized to serve in the military.

These moves have been attributed to the fact that Russian President Vladimir Putin's military continues to suffer high casualty rates in Ukraine and struggles to fill its ranks with new recruits. On Thursday, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported that Russia had lost 240,010 troops thus far over the course of the war. Newsweek could not independently verify this estimate.