Russian schools resume military training following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Reuters reported. It became part of the curriculum for the first time in the post-Soviet era, after it was dropped from it, writes BTA.
In the southern city of Vladikavkaz this month, teenagers in camouflage uniforms took turns firing weapons and practicing first aid under the supervision of instructors.
"It's easier to shoot a gun. And with a machine gun, it's harder to aim," said 14-year-old David, a skinny boy with black hair and glasses. He thinks that firearms training will "make his life easier" in the future.
Military service is mandatory for young men in Russia, which has been waging war against Ukraine for the third year.
Sergei Menyailo, a retired vice admiral who is now the leader of Russia's North Ossetia region, mentioned the conflict in his speech to the youth, telling them the training would help them "fulfill their military duty as a team" if one day they had to fight.
At the end of 2022, the Ministry of Education issued a decree introducing basic military training into the curriculum as part of a subject called "fundamentals of life safety". Critics see this as part of the growing militarization of Russian society since the beginning of the war.
Boris Kantemirov, local head of a volunteer organization that supports the armed forces, said the training provided skills every soldier would need.
"Everyone should know how to save human life, handle a weapon and be physically fit," he told Reuters amid gunfire from the range.