Children in war-torn Russia switch from the classroom to the firing range

This month, David, a fourteen-year-old Russian kid, discovered something new: shooting a Kalashnikov accurately is more difficult than shooting a pistol.

He had the opportunity to practice using the weapons alongside other students as part of basic military training, an aspect of the curriculum that was discontinued in the last years of the Soviet Union but has been reinstated since the commencement of Russia’s conflict in Ukraine.

This month, under the supervision of instructors, teenage males dressed in camouflage uniforms took turns shooting guns and doing first aid in the southern city of Vladikavkaz.

“Firing a pistol is easier. And it’s harder to aim an assault rifle,” remarked David, a skinny boy with glasses and black hair.

He claimed that practicing with guns would “make life easier” for him thereafter. In Russia, where the conflict in Ukraine is now into its third year, young men are required to serve in the armed forces.

In remarks to the children, retired vice-admiral Sergei Menyailo, who is currently in charge of Russia’s North Ossetia area, made reference to the conflict and said that the training would enable them “to fulfil your military duty within a team” should they ever need to engage in combat.

The “basics of life safety” subject in the school curriculum would include fundamental military training, according to a directive published by the education ministry in late 2022. Critics view it as a component of Russia’s society becoming more militarized since the war’s beginning.

The local head of a volunteer group that aids the armed forces, Boris Kantemirov, stated that the training imparted abilities that are necessary for any soldier.

Gunshots from the training range echoed in the background as he told Reuters that “everyone must be able to save lives, handle weapons, and be physically fit.”