Pull to refresh
Logo
Daily Brief
Following Why Sign Up
Russia adds drone classes to public school curriculum

Russia adds drone classes to public school curriculum

Rule Changes

Moscow embeds UAV training from nursery schools to high school military courses

Today: Al Jazeera reports drone classes in schools

Overview

Updated 2 hours ago

Russian schoolchildren are learning to assemble and fly drones as part of the national curriculum. The program reaches hundreds of schools, and in at least three regions it starts in nurseries.

Moscow calls it technical education, but the curriculum embeds military training in civilian classrooms. Russia aims to train one million unmanned aerial vehicle specialists by 2030, and the school system is where that training begins.

Why it matters

Russia's school system is becoming a military drone pipeline, with children as young as seven being pulled into the program.

Questions about this story

Free account needed to ask — your question is kept and asked for you right after sign-up. Answers are public.

No questions yet — be the first to ask.

Key Indicators

500+
Russian schools teaching drone operation (Aug 2025)
Count reported by the British Defense Ministry.
1 million
UAV specialists Russia plans to train by 2030
Target announced by Science and Higher Education Minister Valery Falkov in 2024.
16bn roubles
School spending on drones since 2022
About £160 million across nurseries, schools, colleges, and universities, per Novaya Gazeta Europe.
7
Minimum age for drone racing, per Putin directive
Putin called for seven-year-olds to race drones by 2026, lowering the earlier age threshold of ten.

Voices

Curated perspectives — historical figures and your fellow readers.

Ever wondered what historical figures would say about today's headlines?

Sign up to generate historical perspectives on this story.

Log in Sign Up

People Involved

Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Putin
President of Russia
In power; endorsed drone education in schools
 Valery Falkov
Valery Falkov
Science and Higher Education Minister
Set target of 1 million UAV specialists by 2030
 Pavel Luzin
Pavel Luzin
Defense policy expert
Critical of the program's practical impact
MN
Maxim Nevstruev
Student studying drones
Studied drones for three years as program entered curriculum

Organizations Involved

Russian Ministry of Education
Russian Ministry of Education
Government Agency
Implementing drone education in schools

The federal agency designing and mandating Russia's school curriculum changes.
BD
British Defense Ministry
Government Agency
Monitoring Russian drone education

The United Kingdom's defense department, tracking Russian military education programs.

Timeline

February 2022 October 2026

13 events Latest: Today Showing 8 of 13
Tap a bar to jump to that date

  1. Al Jazeera reports drone classes in schools

    Today Report

    Al Jazeera visits a Moscow classroom showing children assembling and flying drones as part of the national curriculum.

  2. OBZR split into two subjects

    Policy

    Initial Military Training and Life Safety replace OBZR, with deeper UAV instruction and mandatory training camps.

  3. Nursery schools teach drone flight

    Report

    Telegraph reports nurseries in Perm, Tyumen, and Sakhalin operating drone classes and competitions.

  4. Drone classes formalized in OBZR

    Policy

    Government formally adds drone assembly and operation to the Fundamentals of Security and Homeland Defense course.

  5. British Defense Ministry counts 500+ schools

    Assessment

    United Kingdom's defense department reports drone instruction active in over 500 Russian schools.

  6. First drone textbook launches

    Publication

    Russia publishes its first school textbook on drone operation for grades 9-10, with interactive lessons.

  7. Forbes details military curriculum

    Report

    Reporting shows school training covers stripping, loading, and firing a Kalashnikov plus drone warfare essentials.

  8. OBZR becomes mandatory

    Policy

    Fundamentals of Security and Homeland Defense starts as a required subject for grades 8-11.

  9. Drone classes added to Labour subject

    Policy

    Fifteen hours of drone assembly, programming, and operation assigned to grades 7-9 under Labour (Technology).

  10. OBZR subject introduced

    Policy

    Education Ministry creates Fundamentals of Security and Homeland Defense as a compulsory course.

  11. Unmanned Aviation Strategy adopted

    Policy

    Government approves strategy through 2030, identifying children as the starting point of drone workforce training.

  12. Putin endorses drone education

    Policy

    President backs drone instruction in the national curriculum and calls for seven-year-olds to race by 2026.

  13. Russia invades Ukraine

    Conflict

    Full-scale invasion begins, accelerating militarization of Russian school education.

Scenarios

1

Russia announces drone education in all secondary schools

Likely Resolves by Sep 1, 2027

Discussed by: Russian Ministry of Education, state media (TASS, RIA Novosti)

The government has committed to nationwide drone education and is investing heavily. If the war continues and UAVs remain central to combat, Moscow has reason to accelerate the rollout. A formal announcement of full coverage across secondary schools would mark the completion of that expansion.

2

Independent reporting documents shallow drone training

Possible Resolves by Jun 1, 2028

Discussed by: Pavel Luzin, Novaya Gazeta Europe

Defense policy expert Pavel Luzin argues the program's scale masks its limits: 30-student classes, half the time spent on discipline, minimal practical flight. Independent reporting may document gaps between official coverage claims and what actually happens in classrooms, particularly in regions with limited equipment or instructor training.

3

Drone education expands to primary grades

Possible Resolves by Jun 1, 2027

Discussed by: The Telegraph, Putin's directives

Putin's directive targeting seven-year-old drone racers signals appetite for earlier training. Nursery programs in Perm, Tyumen, and Sakhalin could become the model for a nationwide expansion below grade 5, extending drone instruction to all primary school students rather than the current selective rollout.

Historical Context

2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

1968-1990s

Soviet Initial Military Training (1968)

The Soviet Union introduced compulsory initial military training in secondary schools in 1968, teaching weapons handling, drill, civil defense, and basic tactics. The program ran for decades and reached virtually all Soviet schoolchildren.

Then

Millions of Soviet teenagers received basic military instruction before conscription.

Now

The program normalized military training in civilian education and shaped generations of conscripts, but its practical value was often limited by aging equipment and rote instruction.

Why this matters now

Russia's current curriculum follows the same pattern of embedding military training in the school system, but with a modern focus on drone warfare rather than rifle drill. The Soviet program shows both how such training can persist for decades and how it can degrade into formalism.

1930s

Nazi Germany militarized education (1930s)

The Nazi regime integrated military training and ideology into school curricula across Germany in the 1930s. Youth organizations operated as paramilitary training grounds, and schools emphasized physical fitness, weapons familiarity, and loyalty to the state.

Then

A generation of German youth received military-style training in schools and youth organizations before the outbreak of World War II.

Now

The system dissolved with the regime's defeat in 1945 and became a cautionary example cited in debates about militarizing education.

Why this matters now

Shows how states use education systems to prepare youth for war during conflict. Russia's drone curriculum, combined with patriotic lessons and basic military training, fits that historical pattern, though it operates in a different technological and political context.

Sources

(7)
+1
Al Jazeera The Moscow Times Novaya Gazeta Europe The Telegraph Forbes OSINTflow Novaya Gazeta Europe