Russia to Implement 'Combat Drone' Training Classes in High Schools Starting Next Year

Drill and Weapon Handling Training Also Conducted
Recruitment of Troops for Ukraine Frontline Becomes Difficult

The Russian government announced that starting next year, it will conduct military training for high school students on the use of combat drones, military drills, and weapon handling. This move is interpreted as an effort to provide preliminary military training to male high school students, who are considered reserve manpower resources, amid difficulties in recruiting troops due to the large-scale overseas escape of young men following the recent war in Ukraine.

[Image source=TASS Yonhap News]

According to local media such as the Russian daily Izvestia on the 16th (local time), the Russian government plans to conduct military training classes for high school students through the subject "Basics of Homeland Security and Defense" starting from the new school term in September next year. In these classes, students will learn basic military knowledge including the use of combat drones, military regulations, drills, military technology, and safety education for handling small arms.

Additionally, students will also learn first aid for the wounded, how to act in military emergencies, and modern combined arms combat tactics. Combined arms refers to combat methods where two or more different types of military forces such as the army, air force, and navy conduct joint operations together.

The Russian Ministry of Education emphasized the necessity of military training in a document posted on the government's official legal portal, stating, "Students must understand Russia's role in the modern world and learn about the role of the Russian military in guaranteeing national defense and responding to military threats."

The Russian government's decision to conduct military training even for high school students is seen as an effort to secure a more stable manpower resource. Previously, after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, more than one million adult men fled abroad to avoid military service, making troop conscription significantly difficult. The Russian government also revised the conscription law starting next year to raise the conscription age from the previous 18?27 years to 18?30 years.

Meanwhile, local governments in Russia are reportedly purchasing drones for educational institutions to distribute to schools in accordance with the Ministry of Education's military training policy. Earlier in June, Sergey Kravtsov, the Russian Minister of Education, stated that through the "Basics of Homeland Security and Defense" subject, students would learn about the role of national defense for peaceful social and economic development and the current state of the Russian military.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.