UK defense ministry: Military training program for Russian schools to be drafted by end of 2022

Russia is currently drafting a military training program to be introduced in schools in a government-run initiative to improve the quality of conscripts, the U.K. defense ministry said in its daily intelligence update on Nov. 13.

The program will be completed by the end of 2022 and then undergo an approval process, according to the report. It says that the Russian Defense Ministry insists on at least 140 hours per academic year being devoted to training. Typically, an academic year averages 800 hours for children worldwide.

The intelligence report comes a few days after Russian Education Minister Sergey Kravstov said on Nov. 9 that military training will return to Russian schools in the following academic year.

The program is likely to mimic a Soviet-era initiative that ended in 1993 where students went through mandatory military training, which “included contingencies for a chemical or nuclear attack, first aid and experience handling and firing Kalashnikov rifles,” according to the report.

Russia has long aspired to improve the quality of its conscripts.

Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2014, Moscow tried to bring back military programs to schools but much remains unchanged eight years later, according to the U.K. Defense Ministry.

“The quality of Russian conscripts remains poor, with low morale and limited training,” the report said.