Russia has increased the amount of compulsory military training for students aged between 11 and 17, according to Education Minister Sergei Kravtsov.
The programme, known as Fundamentals of Homeland Security and Defence, now includes lessons on drone operations, field exercises, and firearm training. Under the revised curriculum, students will receive at least 17 hours of basic military instruction as part of a total 34-hour course.
Schools are also required to teach subjects such as Russian military history, civil service, wartime survival, combat skills, firearm handling, and grenade use.
Reports indicate that children as young as 11 are now participating in military training activities at school. According to Kommersant, the updated programme could be introduced as early as September in occupied Crimea.
In 2024, reports revealed that Russian schoolchildren were being taught how to respond to a nuclear att@ck. The curriculum includes lessons on the effects of weapons of mass destruction and measures for protecting against them.
The expansion of military training comes amid ongoing tensions between Russia and NATO.
Russia has also recently begun building a new military base near Finland’s eastern border, marking the first such development in the area since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Aerial images reportedly show multiple new barracks under construction following forest-clearing operations that began in late 2025.
Military expert and former Finnish intelligence officer Marko Eklund estimated that the base could accommodate between 4,000 and 6,000 personnel.
The development has raised security concerns in Finland, which shares an 830-mile border with Russia.
Russia has been increasing its military presence in the region following the decisions of Sweden and Finland to join NATO after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
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