Putin Is Teaching Russian Children How To Fly Military Drones, UK Says

Vladimir Putin is militarising education in Russia.Vladimir Putin is training Russian children to fly military drones, according to British intelligence.The latest update from the UK’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) cited open source reporting which indicates approximately 2,500 teachers at more than 500 schools and 30 colleges are teaching young Russians how to operate the unmanned devices.Putin’s own minister of education and science, Valery Falkov, even stated back in May 2024 that Russia wants to have a million drone specialists by 2030.The president also allegedly announced back in June that he was setting up a separate branch within the Russian Armed Forces just for operating the equipment, also known as uncrewed aerial systems (UAS).The MoD described it as a “notable development in the highly likely continuing militarisation of Russian education”.This is a trend that has been increasing ever since Putin invaded Ukraine in February 2022, according to the officials.Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 20 August 2025.Find out more about Defence Intelligence's use of language: https://t.co/zkWpSjkPL6#StandWithUkrainepic.twitter.com/rPAHViWiBf— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) August 20, 2025This is just the latest indication coming out of the Kremlin that Putin has little intention of negotiating a peace deal to end the Ukraine war.Donald Trump is currently trying to organise a bilateral meeting between the Russian leader and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, but Moscow is yet to confirm that Putin will attend.Putin’s use of children is especially alarming because the International Criminal Court has put out an arrest warrant for him over the abduction of thousands of Ukrainian kids.It’s widely believed these children endure “Russification”, meaning they are re-educated in Russian language, culture and history, while being banned from speaking Ukrainian.According to Zelenskyy, at least 19,500 young Ukrainians have been taken by Russian forces since Putin began his land grab three-and-a-half years ago.America’s first lady Melania Trump even wrote Putin a letter urging him to consider the young people impacted by the war, saying that “in protecting the innocence of these children, you will do more than serve Russia alone – you serve humanity”.She did not explicitly mention the abductions, but urged him to think about how each “generation’s descendants begin their lives with a purity” which “stands above geography, government and ideology”.Meanwhile, Russia is still insisting that it must be part of the international talks on Ukraine’s security – and Putin’s top diplomat, Sergei Lavrov, accused Europe of “clumsy” efforts to resolve the war.It comes after Trump met Putin in Alaska last Friday, but failed to secure any concession towards peace.Even so, the US president used his follow-up meeting with Zelenskyy and European leaders in the White House on Monday to claim that Putin wants to make a deal to end the conflict just for Trump.Related...Top Putin Ally Scorns Trump's 'Clumsy' Peace Talks With Ukraine And European LeadersFormer Russian Prime Minister Neatly Sums Up How Keen Putin Is For Peace In UkraineAfter Days Of High-Powered Talks On Ending The Ukraine War, What Happens Next?

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