Russia Opens First ‘Drone School’ for Children

Russia has opened its first drone school for children, where pupils will be taught how to assemble and operate drones under supervision from war veterans, in the latest step in the Kremlin’s drive to militarize its youth.

The school, located in the southern Russian city of Krasnodar and named Dobro i Nebo (Kindness and Sky), will train students to assemble and pilot both real life drones and simulators, according to a statement by Krasnodar’s mayor Yevgeny Naumov.

Military personnel will be among the instructors, who will work with children in grades 7 to 11.

“The children will have to undergo testing, including for fine motor skills and aptitude for technical sciences,” Naumov wrote on Telegram. “This means that they will gain a real and relevant profession while still at school.”

Naumov also said that the school had been created by the “Dobro i Delo” (Kindness and Action) foundation with the support of a regional government grant.

Sharing photos of the opening ceremony on Instagram, Dobro i Delo wrote: “Thank you to everyone who shared these joyful emotions with us!”

Naumov appeared to anticipate criticism, writing: “Today, UAVs are everywhere: in construction, agriculture, and, of course, in the military. We really want peace to come soon. May the skills that children obtain here be useful to them in peacetime.”

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13 Children Returned From Occupied Kherson

13 children from Russian-occupied areas of Kherson have been evacuated to Ukrainian-controlled territory after enduring threats, coercion and militarized “training” under occupation. The children are currently in “Hope and Recovery” centers, receiving psychological support and legal assistance.

Yet independent investigations point to a systematic enlistment of children into Russia’s military-industrial pipeline, targeting schools and extracurricular activities popular among young people.

In July, an investigation by exiled Russian outlet The Insider found that Russian authorities had systematically recruited children for designing and testing drones through nationwide competitions which allowed defense companies to headhunt promising youth.

Children told the outlet that they worked on drone prototypes after becoming finalists in a competition of the video game Berloga, but that they were forbidden to acknowledge the clear link to the war in Ukraine.

Nor is it only Russian children who have been groomed into joining Moscow’s war effort.

A report by a Yale University team in September found that abducted Ukrainian children were being forced by Russia to assemble military equipment.

At more than 39 of the 210 facilities that tens of thousands of abducted Ukrainian children had been sent to, researchers found evidence that children had been illegally subjected to re-education and militarization programs, including the production of military equipment for Russia’s army.