All Russian school children will be taught “the basics of operating combat drones”, according to an intelligence brief from the UK’s Ministry of Defence (MOD).
The department highlights an announcement from Russian Senator Artem Sheikin – who has been sanctioned by the EU – that lessons will cover “how to conduct terrain reconnaissance and ways to counter enemy un-crewed aerial vehicles (UAVs)”, also known as drones.
Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine – 24 July 2023.
Find out more about Defence Intelligence’s use of language: https://t.co/OgjLYIKpaS
?? #StandWithUkraine ?? pic.twitter.com/TycIcQcjhu
— Ministry of Defence ?? (@DefenceHQ) July 24, 2023
The UAV classes will be part of a revised “Basics of Life Safety” syllabus for pupils aged between 15 and 17 years old, with the measure due to come into effect from September 1, according to the MOD.
Other topics on the syllabus include “assault-rifle training, hand grenade skills and combat first-aid”.
While the MOD assesses that the “renewed emphasis on military induction for children is largely an effort to cultivate a culture of militarised patriotism rather than develop genuine skills”, it notes that the drone training shows Russia has “identified the use of tactical UAVs in Ukraine as an enduring component of contemporary war”.
Since the start of the war, Ukraine has thrown its weight behind both drone production and the training of drone operators.
US intelligence officials have warned that Russia is building a drone-manufacturing facility with Iran’s help that, once completed, could have a significant impact in the Ukraine war.
Up to 15 Shahed-136 drones struck Reni, a Ukrainian port on the Danube, some 60 miles inland from the Black Sea, on 24 July. The Shahed-136 is an Iranian-built “loitering munition” used as a so-called “kamikaze drone” and which is often deployed in swarm-formation attacks.
Russian Shahed-136 kamikaze UAV attack on Ukraine’s Reni Port on the Danube River in Odesa region yesterday. pic.twitter.com/XdgnEJhAlk
— Clash Report (@clashreport) July 25, 2023
The strike on Reni was part of a renewed wave of Russian attacks on Ukraine’s cargo shipping infrastructure, Gabriel Elefteriu, Deputy Director at the Council on Geostrategy think-tank in London, writes for Brussels Signal. Other ports attacked include Odessa, Chornomorsk and Izmail.
The attacks followed the recent suspension of the so-called “grain deal” brokered by Turkey and the UN last year.
