the kremlin plans to prepare children for war starting from the 5th grade
russia’s state duma is proposing to introduce a mandatory curriculum block on basic military training in schools starting from the 5th grade, rather than limiting it to high school students. The justification is that the russian population allegedly needs to “be ready for any actions, any provocations.”
The soviet-era practice of school lessons in basic military training for 10th and 11th-grade students was reinstated in russia in 2022 after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Calls to expand this program to middle school students represent yet another step in the militarization of russian society.
From an early age, children in russia are conditioned to believe that their role in society is to prepare for combat, that war is an inherent part of russian existence. The kremlin aims to raise an entire generation of russians who will unquestioningly take up arms to fulfill the regime’s demands.
