Kenneth Glad
New rules are changing what pupils encounter during the school week. The shift affects lessons, extracurricular activities and the choices available to families.
The pupils of Russian schools are going to spend a much larger share of one safety-related subject on initial military preparation starting September 1, Interfax reported, citing Education Minister Sergey Kravtsov.
The subject, “Fundamentals of security and protection of the Motherland,” is taught to pupils in grades 6 to 11. Kravtsov said about one-fifth of its hours now go to military preparation, while the new academic year will raise that figure to 50 percent.
The Education Ministry furthermore said that pupils will study drones and attend training camps as part of the program.
The announcement places more weapons, field skills and military-related instruction inside a subject that developed out of earlier life-safety classes.
Patriotic lessons are expanding
The move follows several years of education reforms introduced after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Meduza reported last year that schools had started adding weekly flag ceremonies, anthem singing and “Conversations about the important,” a state-organized lesson format focused on patriotic and civic themes.
The military turn in the curriculum began earlier. In 2023, initial military instruction was added to life-safety lessons.
Older pupils were taught how to handle a Kalashnikov rifle, use hand grenades and provide battlefield first aid.
In 2024, the subject was renamed “Fundamentals of security and protection of the Motherland.”
Another subject, “Spiritual and Moral Culture of Russia,” is planned from September 1. Kravtsov said documentaries about 83 Russian servicemen who took part in the war in Ukraine will be produced for use in connection with it.
Refusal is becoming harder
The expanded military component adds to the pressure already described by teachers in recent years. Meduza has reported complaints about rising workloads, more paperwork and reduced time for regular lessons.
One teacher said: “There is nothing wrong with talking about patriotism, planting trees, participating in an event. But there is so much of it that we just don’t physically have time to keep our usual lessons.”
Parents have also faced pressure. Meduza reported in 2024 that Yana Lisitsina, a mother from the Sverdlovsk region, was fined after refusing to send her son to military training. She said: “I didn’t ask for my child to be taught to pull the trigger.”
Her case shows how a dispute over one pupil’s timetable can quickly become a legal confrontation, especially when military instruction is treated not as an optional activity but as part of the school system’s broader obligations.
Sources: Interfax, Meduza
