“According to open data, Russian children and young people study and are trained in operation and technical bases of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in more than 500 schools”, – WRITE: www.radiosvoboda.org
British intelligence draws attention to open sources of information that indicate that Russian children and young people study and are trained in operation and technical bases of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in more than 500 Russian schools, as well as in 30 colleges with centers of practical training. More than 2500 teachers are reported to be prepared for teaching. This is part of the intention of Russia’s Minister of Education and Science, Valery Falkov, announced in May 2024, to prepare one million UAV specialists by 2030.
On June 12, 2025, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the development and deployment of a separate unit of special unmanned unmanned systems within the Armed Forces of Russia.
“This emphasizes the growing importance of UAV in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, as well as Russia’s almost certain intention to significantly increase its skill in the use of UAVs and the scope and scale of its capabilities in this area in the long run,” Britain said.
In April, analysts of the American Institute for War Study (ISW) also concluded that the Kremlin probably prepares its population for a potential future protracted conflict with NATO.
At the same time, British intelligence stated that the Russian education system is likely to become more and more politicized, militarized and ideologically controlled in accordance with the broader purposes of the Russian state. Intelligence suggested that Russia is likely to use the education system to develop a more militarized nationalist society – this intention is almost certain to facilitate both deep support for Russia’s war against Ukraine and more willingness to join the army, which is undergoing significant losses.