How Russia Is Militarizing Its Youth Through Education
Russia’s education system is undergoing increasing politicization, militarization, and ideological control, according to a new update from the UK Ministry of Defence, The Gaze reports, citing UK Ministry of Defence.
The trend, UK intelligence notes, is part of the Kremlin’s broader strategy to instill pro-war and anti-Western sentiment in Russian society, starting with the youngest generation.
Since the launch of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Moscow has intensified its efforts to align education with state propaganda. British intelligence states it is “highly likely” that Russian authorities are using the education system to foster nationalism and normalize military aggression.
Independent Russian outlet Verstka reveals that school materials increasingly promote the so-called “Special Military Operation” and glorify patriotic military service, while references to Ukraine are systematically removed from textbooks. The curriculum now features more Soviet-era literature, pro-Russian military content, and texts hostile to the West.
The UK Ministry of Defence notes that the Kremlin’s 2024 Youth Strategy emphasizes “increasing the prestige of military service” and supporting young servicemen and their families — a move seen as both ideological and practical, aimed at replenishing Russia’s military ranks amid mounting casualties.
According to UK intelligence, this indoctrination campaign is designed not only to justify Russia’s ongoing war but to entrench a nationalist worldview that denies Ukraine’s sovereignty and prepares the next generation to embrace future expansionist goals.
The long-term consequences, the report warns, may be the entrenchment of an aggressive and militarized Russian nationalism driven by youth shaped by propaganda rather than pluralism.
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