According to British intelligence, the Soviet Union had a program where students had to participate in compulsory military training.
Minister of Education of Russia Sergei Kravstov has announced that Russia will return military training to schools from September 2023.
The British Ministry of Defense informs about it On Twitter (you will switch to another service).
According to the ministry, the Soviet Union had a program where students had to participate in mandatory military training. The program ended in 1993.
In the training, students were taught to prepare for an attack with chemical and nuclear weapons. In addition, they were taught first aid skills and how to handle and shoot a Kalashnikov assault rifle.
Russian authorities last tried to restart the military training program for schoolchildren in 2014, when Russia had illegally annexed the Crimean peninsula. However, the matter did not progress.
The goal was that the military training given to the students would improve the quality of conscripts in the Russian armed forces.
According to the British Ministry of Defence, Russia is currently preparing a new military training program for schoolchildren. It is scheduled to be completed by the end of this year.
The Russian Ministry of Defense supports the project and has specified that there must be at least 140 hours of training per academic year.
The goal of the training is also to increase Russians’ patriotism and trust in public institutions, the British Ministry of Defense estimates.