We threw hand grenades!' Russian kids try military training

Military-style summer encampments for Russian children ignite fierce debate.

Along the winding banks of the River Don in southern Russia, a curious spectacle unfolds this summer. Instead of frolicsome games or carefree sports, young participants endured regimens fashioned after the military.

Overseen by a Cossack cadet fraternity, the camp gathered 83 children, some scarcely eight years old. The children spent their days slithering through mire, fording rivers, and acquainting themselves with firearms.

While certain trainees clutched harmless replicas, others were startlingly entrusted with real rifles.

Forging resilience from youth

Eight-year-old Ivan Glushchenko spoke with evident pride: “We hurled grenades and let off blank rounds.” To older children, these rites resembled rehearsals for martial vocations.

Anton, another boy, declared his intention to dedicate life to the armed forces, pledging fidelity to his homeland.

For David, the interminable marches became crucibles of stamina and mental mettle, a test of spirit as much as of strength.

Tutors seasoned by warfare

The mentors at these encampments are not ordinary pedagogues. Many are veterans scarred by the conflict in Ukraine.

Among them, Alexander Shopin—wounded in battle—asserted his mission was to impart lived combat knowledge and cultivate solidarity: “A family is forged in their midst.”

Shopin’s daughter, herself a camper, confessed the ordeals were punishing but cherished the camaraderie birthed by shared struggle.

Defence draped in patriotism

Russian authorities justify such enterprises as engines of patriotic cultivation. Proponents contend that discipline, cohesion, and direction sprout from this martial mould.

Organiser Vladimir Yanenko insisted the camp steers children from idle alleys toward purposeful vigour: “It is far more thrilling here than loitering in backstreets.”

Accusations of indoctrination

Yet dissenting voices sound a warning. Independent collectives like Ne Norma perceive these camps as conduits of indoctrination—conditioning the young to revere war, cloaking propaganda in the garb of patriotism.

They argue that beneath the veneer of loyalty lies an unsettling effort to militarise innocence.

A battleground of narratives

These summer drills mirror Russia’s larger endeavour to sculpt national identity through youth programmes. Admirers celebrate discipline and devotion; detractors lament the entwining of childhood with militarisation.

As these camps persist, the duel between patriotism and propaganda will sharpen, leaving the future of Russia’s children caught between the two poles.

Video partner: DW