The British Ministry of Defense, in its Daily update reported that in Russia the new school year has begun with a new curriculum that includes weapons training for high school students.
The new curriculum includes military skills as well as the Kremlin’s view of Ukraine’s history. On the first day of school, President Vladimir Putin personally held an open lesson with 30 students. The new curriculum was approved by the Russian parliament last year. The U.K. Ministry of Defense states, “One element, ‘Fundamentals of Life Safety,’ is aimed at high school students and includes a module on basic military training. This includes handling Kalashnikovs, using hand grenades, using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and battlefield first aid.”
Curriculum serves pursuit of three different goals
In addition, students may also be attended by veterans. The new curriculum is designed to pursue three distinct goals: “To indoctrinate students with the Kremlin’s rationale for the ‘special military operation,’ to develop a warlike attitude, and to shorten training time for mobilization and deployment.” Introducing students to the use of unmanned aerial vehicles demonstrates their increasing importance on the battlefield. Moreover, according to the U.K. Ministry of Defense, it also demonstrates the lessons learned about these weapons systems from the conflict in Ukraine.
Image: kremlin.ru, Совещание по развитию дальневосточных городов (2023-03-14) 02, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (image size modified)
_02.jpg){kind=link}