MOSCOW: In a striking display of Russia’s deepening militarisation of its youth, children as young as eight have been put through combat-style training at a summer camp in the Rostov region, close to the Ukrainian border, the New York Post has reported.
The camp hosted 83 participants aged between 8 and 17, who were taught how to handle rifles, throw hand grenades and march in simulated battle scenarios. “We threw hand grenades and fired dummy shots,” said eight-year-old Ivan Glushchenko, describing his favourite part of the drills.
The training was overseen by Russian soldiers with frontline experience in Ukraine. Exercises included a “route march” along the River Don, where children crawled on sand and waded through shallow water carrying weapons—some real, others replicas.
Organisers say the initiative is part of President Vladimir Putin’s push to instill military discipline and patriotic values in the country’s next generation. “Why am I here? Because I want to tie my future with military service. To serve my country and be loyal to my cause until the very end,” said one older participant, Anton.
While military-themed youth programmes are not new in Russia, the inclusion of very young children and the camp’s proximity to an active war zone has raised eyebrows abroad. Analysts see it as another signal of the Kremlin’s determination to harden society for a long conflict.
