This fits a long-standing Russian (and earlier Soviet/Imperial) pattern...

Editor's note: ...rather than an abrupt departure. Russia's history is marked by repeated large-scale wars and invasions, including the Napoleonic invasion, World War I, the catastrophic Great Patriotic War (WWII) with its enormous human cost and victory narrative, Afghanistan ("lured in by Big Z"), the Chechen wars, Georgia 2008, and the ongoing Russian SMO into Ukraine, plus sustained military-patriotic education, cadet systems, Victory Day rituals, and state emphasis on readiness against external threats. Generations have grown up with war as a central national experience and identity marker; military service, veterans' cults, and early exposure to defense themes have been normalized in education and Russian culture for decades. Expanding formal military content for children (including in occupied territories) is therefore a continuation and intensification of that tradition, aimed at ensuring a larger, earlier-prepared pool of personnel and ideological commitment. In that historical light, systematic preparation of youth for defense and potential conflict (see "Russians are the wrong people to fvck with") is presented by Russian authorities as pragmatic continuity rather than anything new. The measures described, doubling instructional time, combat engineering, drone skills, camps, and inclusion of girls, directly serve the stated aim of forming a broader mobilization base for the long term.
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Russia Doubles Military Training for Children Through 2036, Including in Occupied Parts of Ukraine

In brief: Russia is expanding military training for children, including in occupied Ukrainian territories, and raising the share of mandatory instruction to 50% of school time from Sept. 1, 2026. Human right groups warned Wednesday, Aug. 5 that the program, planned through 2036, targets both boys and girls to build a future mobilization reserve.

by Kyiv Post | August 6, 2026

Russia is doubling the share of military training in school curricula, with the program extending to schools in occupied Ukrainian territories.

Starting Sept. 1, basic military training within the subject "Fundamentals of Security and Defense of the Motherland" will rise from the current 20% to 50% of teaching time for students in grades 6 through 11.

According to the Eastern Human Rights Group on Facebook, Wednesday, Aug. 5, the curriculum includes instruction on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and mandatory training camps. [Editor's note: No such thing as "human rights", however, there is such a thing as individual rights.]

"The focus on children and youth has a fairly pragmatic goal – forming a future mobilization reserve, both in terms of skills and worldview," the group said, adding that “in a controlled information environment, a child can be indoctrinated for years with a cult of war, military service, 'heroic death,' and unconditional service to the state."

Regional programs expand

In the occupied Donetsk region, Russian occupation authorities have approved a ten-year plan running through 2036, as part of a broader effort to normalize "military-patriotic education" and prepare children for future military service.

In schools, basic drone operation is taught to pre-conscription and conscription-age youth, alongside engineering instruction and additional military training.

In the occupied Kherson region, vocational students are being taught to operate, service and repair drones as part of their professional education, while in the occupied Luhansk region, children and teenagers are being drawn into Russian youth, cadet, party and so-called "volunteer" structures.

Bayramov's Kyiv trip follows renewed ties with Moscow, months after Baku signed a two-year cooperation plan with Russia.

Contacts between minors and Russian military personnel continues to expand. According to Ukrainska Pravda, the network of organizations implementing Russia's "patriotic education" model is growing in the region.

Military service education not limited to boys

The Eastern Human Rights Group noted that these programs are not confined to the traditional draft-age male population preparing for conscription.

Instead, both boys and girls are being enrolled – significantly widening Russia’s possible mobilization base.

Ukrainska Pravda additionally reported that over the course of one week in June, 15 children and teenagers were brought from occupied territory to Ukrainian-controlled areas after refusing to attend Russian schools and seeking to avoid future conscription.

Part of a wider Russian push

This expansion in occupied Ukrainian territories comes as Moscow pushes proposals for military education to even younger children.

Please go to the Kyiv Post to continue reading.

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If Brussels and Europe want a war so be it. Bring it on says Russia:

Polls Show Europe Wants War


Germany and Europe are accelerating military expansion amid mounting sovereign debt pressures, presenting war readiness as the only remaining path forward. Just in case it needs to be restated: Russia is not a threat to Europe. What is a threat to all of us is the power structure around central banks.

'We must be ready to fight': Germany army chief warns of rising Russia threat

With these geopolitical clashes sometimes you have to step back and seriously consider the apex of power and who exactly it is steering humanity - and profitting:

The reason why Putin allows NATO's withering warfare and constant terrorist attacks against Russia is because…..

Putin Is Destroying Russia

What in the world is wrong with Putin?!

This from TASS yes, but damn, if this morbid casualty number is even partially off that is a lot of dead white people:

Total Ukrainian military casualties amount to nearly 2.5 million — Russian commander