Crimean Schools Train Seven-Year-Olds to Fly Drones and Fire Rifles

Schoolchildren in Sevastopol, Crimea, now use Russian military drones and assault rifles as part of their regular education. According to a report released by the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine on October 30, the occupation authorities have integrated combat hardware into local school curricula. The shift means that primary school students are handling equipment previously reserved for active combat units.

Approximately 50 students, ranging in age from seven to 18, recently qualified for a regional competition in late October. The event was organized by the Russian Movement of the First and a body known as the Drone Racing Federation. The training materials included simulators and actual drones deployed by Russian forces in the current conflict. University students in the city are also receiving similar instruction on operating these systems.

In classrooms across the occupied peninsula, students participate in drills that involve firing weapons and disassembling Kalashnikov assault rifles. They march in formation on command and engage in games labeled as military and patriotic activities. These events often feature veterans of the war against Ukraine as instructors or participants. Students are also required to learn songs by Russian singers who support the war effort.

The Defence Intelligence of Ukraine states that this initiative aims to normalize military technology in the lives of young residents. The intelligence service notes that Russian authorities are recruiting individuals into security agencies and the Unmanned Systems Forces. Veterans fighting against Ukraine are being appointed to senior roles in the local administration. Schools in the region are installing memorial plaques to honor Russian soldiers killed in action.

A spokesperson for the intelligence service said the goal is to create an environment where war is a standard part of childhood. The report argues that these measures help Russia justify its aggression while raising a generation that accepts military training and hostility toward Ukraine as the norm. This development follows earlier reports in March regarding combat drone classes in other Russian regions. Those classes were part of a federal course titled Fundamentals of Security and Defence of the Motherland.