Russia is teaching its children to fight the wars of the future
While some of the skills were previously taught in limited high school modules, the new version escalates this training for children as young as 13.
Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with finalists of the Bolshaya Peremena national contest for school students in Krasnoyarsk, Russia, on Aug. 3. | Sputnik / POOL / VIA AFP-JIJI
BLOOMBERG
Aug 30, 2026
Students returning to Russian schools this week will discover a change to their civics courses that puts military training at the heart of the lessons.
The mandatory classes for teenagers include learning about the main types of armaments including machine guns, anti-tank weapons and hand grenades, as well as emergency field medicine and general military discipline. While some of the skills were previously taught in limited high school modules, the new version escalates this training for children as young as 13.
The revamped curriculum ordered by the Education Ministry requires half of weekly classes in the “Fundamentals of Security and Defense of the Motherland” course to focus on basic military training. It’s part of a creeping militarization of Russia’s schools intended to shape the next generation of army recruits as the Kremlin continues the war in Ukraine that’s now in its fifth year.
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