Russia's Youth Army: The Creeping Militarization of Education The new academic year in Russia will bring with it a revised civics curriculum for teenagers.
Gone are the days of limited high school modules on basic military training; now, half of weekly classes in the "Fundamentals of Security and Defense of the Motherland" course focus on exactly that.
Students as young as 13 learn about armaments, emergency field medicine, and general military discipline – a far cry from the peace propaganda of Soviet times.