Russian schoolchildren will learn the basics of combat drone flying as part of military training classes starting in September, a senior lawmaker said.

“According to the plans, from September 1, schoolchildren will learn the basics of the combat use of drones at the lessons of basic military training,” Senator Artem Sheikin, deputy chairman of the Council for the Development of the Digital Economy under the Federation Council, told RIA Novosti.

Sheikin said the drone lessons will be part of the “Basics of Life Safety” syllabus. The program provides the study of “types, purpose, performance characteristics and general structure, reconnaissance of the area and methods of countering enemy UAVs.”

“The current army is not just a Kalashnikov assault rifle, but also advanced unmanned vehicles,” Sheikin said.

Basic military training will become part of the curriculum for Russian high schoolers in grades 10 and 11 as part of curriculum changes following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The students will also be trained to operate assault rifles and hand grenades.

The UK Ministry of Defense said on Monday in an intelligence update on the war: “Russia’s renewed emphasis on military induction for children is largely an effort to cultivate a culture of militarized patriotism rather than develop genuine capability.”

It added: “However, the addition of UAV skills does highlight how Russia has identified the use of tactical UAVs in Ukraine as an enduring component of contemporary war.”

Read more:

Ukraine reports clashes between Wagner troops and Belarus border guards

‘No indication’ Wagner forces in Belarus have necessary forces to launch attack: ISW

‘Tense with Wagner’: Lukashenko struggles to keep mercenaries from attacking Poland