Russia using children to design and test its military drones, investigation finds
Source: Guardian
Russian authorities have systematically involved children in the design and testing of drones for the country’s war in Ukraine through nationwide competitions that begin with innocent-seeming video games and end up with the most talented students headhunted by defence companies, an investigation has found.
The revelations, part of an investigation by the exiled Russian news outlet the Insider, are the latest to show just how much Russia’s leaders are dragging the country’s youth into the war effort in Ukraine, with “patriotic” and militarised education often spilling over into outright participation.
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Russia’s state-run Zvezda TV channel said the Alabuga factory had invited 14- and 15-year-old pupils to study drone manufacturing at an adjacent college and subsequently work at the factory. Young workers were shown in the footage with their faces blurred, sitting at computers or assembling drones.
Children contacted by the Insider also spoke of working inside military facilities: one explained how, aged 13, he had trained soldiers in drone operations inside a state facility in 2022.
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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jul/22/russia-using-children-design-test-military-drones-investigation-finds
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