The Russians in occupied Crimea are training children and young people to fly drones, fire assault rifles and take them apart. Ukrainian intelligence says the training uses drones and other equipment belonging to the Russian military.
Source: Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU) on Telegram
Details: In late October, around 50 schoolchildren aged between seven and 18 in Sevastopol qualified for the regional stage of competitions organised by the Russian Movement of the First and the so-called Drone Racing Federation.
The Russians are also teaching university students in the city to operate drones. They use simulators, actual drones and equipment used by Russian forces in the war.
Quote: "The aggressor state of Russia is creating an environment in Ukraine's temporarily occupied territories where military technology and participation in war are becoming a normal part of childhood."
Details: In schools across occupied Crimea, the Russians hold classes where children learn to shoot, strip down Kalashnikov assault rifles and march in formation on command. They also organise "military and patriotic" games and challenges involving participants in Russia's war against Ukraine and force students to learn songs by Russian pro-war propagandist singers.
The occupation authorities are also recruiting people into Russian security agencies and encouraging them to sign contracts to serve in the Unmanned Systems Forces. Those who have fought against Ukraine are being appointed to senior positions in the occupation administrations, and schools are putting up memorial plaques commemorating Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine.
DIU says the Russians are using these measures to justify their aggression and teach children to accept war as a normal part of life.
Quote: "Its goal is not only to maintain control over Crimea, but also to raise a generation for whom Russia's war, military training from the school desk and hatred of Ukraine will become the norm."
Background: In March, Ukrainska Pravda. Zhyttia (Life) reported on Russian efforts to teach schoolchildren to operate combat drones. According to Ukraine's Foreign Intelligence Service, the classes are conducted by Russian military personnel who have fought against Ukraine, and training drone operators is part of a federal course called Fundamentals of Security and Defence of the Motherland. The classes have been introduced in Kursk, Nizhny Novgorod and Vologda oblasts, among others. In Vladivostok, there were plans to include the subject of drones in school mathematics and physics courses. Ukrainska Pravda. Zhyttia previously also reported on the militarisation of education in Ukraine's occupied territories , where the Russians are introducing school subjects that focus on "patriotic" education and loyalty to Russia.
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