{"id":14908,"date":"2019-08-07T13:43:14","date_gmt":"2019-08-07T13:43:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/informnapalm.org\/en\/?p=14908"},"modified":"2019-08-07T13:42:35","modified_gmt":"2019-08-07T13:42:35","slug":"putinjugend-children-for-russian-war","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/informnapalm.org\/en\/putinjugend-children-for-russian-war\/","title":{"rendered":"Putinjugend: Children for Russian War"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is a translation of the original\u00a0InformNapalm<\/em>\u00a0article<\/a>, authored by\u00a0Andrzej Leszkiewicz<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Andrii Luchkov<\/strong>. Translated by Hybrid Warfare Analytical Group<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n

After Russia attacked Georgia in 2008 and Ukraine in 2014, militaristic policy has become a norm for Russian society. Moreover, military propaganda is directed not only at the adults \u2014 it also targets children. The Kremlin actively influences the yet unshaped child identity and attempts to instill the idea that participation in Russian wars is a sacred duty of every citizen. Propaganda is amplified by the actual military training aimed at children with the goal of their future involvement into military operations. It should be noted that military propaganda efforts engulfs not only Russian children but also those living in the occupied territories as well as children from the countries allied with Russia (Belarus, Serbia). Such militarization constitutes a threat both for the underage children and for the states which are potential targets of Russian aggression \u2014 or have already become its victims.<\/p>\n

Specific facts and events related to intensive child militarization processes in Russia sometimes catch the attention of mass-media in Ukraine and worldwide. Nevertheless, this process deserves systematic scrutiny, as child militarization has already become an inseparable part of Russian governmental policy directed at getting the state ready for expanding military aggression. During the last 10 years a well-organized and far-reaching system of underage military training was built in Russia, which grows fast and engages more and more youth, including pre-school children. Instead of searching for and developing scientific, technical, cultural or humanitarian talents, the Kremlin chooses to build a multi-million army \u2014 it conducts large-scale search and selection of recruits, and gets them ready for the upcoming wars.<\/p>\n

As of May 8, 2019, more than 500,000 children joined the all-Russian militaristic movement \u201cYouth Army\u201d<\/h2>\n

This article is a collection of data on a system of the underage military training in Russia, on the territories occupied by Russia and in the states allied to it. As for now, Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Education, FSB [Federal Security Service], Ministry of Emergency Situations, Investigative Committee as well as other state bodies, Russian Orthodox Church (ROC), different paramilitary organizations are involved in the military training of children aged 3\u201318 years old.<\/p>\n

In 2009 President of Russian Federation Putin restored the Soviet paramilitary organization Voluntary Association for Assistance to Army, Air Force, and Navy. In its turn, it became a base for establishing the militarized children\u2019s organization \u201cYouth Army\u201d. Putin and Shoigu (Russian Minister of Defense) created the\u201cYouth Army\u201d in 2015\u20132016.<\/p>\n

\"Voluntary<\/a><\/p>\n

Voluntary Association for Assistance to Army, Air Force, and Navy<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Training<\/a>Training of the \u201cYouth Army\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

On June 21, 2018, State Duma MP, armed forces colonel Roman Romanenko became a Head of the \u201cYouth Army\u201d General Staff. \u201cYouth Army\u201d General Staff is comprised both of the armed forces representatives and various statesmen, politicians, propagandists, athletes, e.g.: Head of the Defense Ministry\u2019s Personnel Directorate, Colonel Mikhail Baryshev; Head of State Patriotic Education Department at the Armed Forces Main Personnel Directorate, Colonel Sergey Gusev; President of Military Tactical Games Federation, actor, producer, anchor Mikhail Galustyan, International Olympic Committee member Russian Federation Armed Forces Major Elena Isinbayeva; general producer of \u201cMatch TV\u201d federal TV-channel, producer, anchor Tina Kandelaki; daughter of Russian Minister of Defense Ksenia Shoigu; Dmitriy Rogozin\u2019s son Alexey Rogozin.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

General Vladimir Shamanov, a former Russian Air Force commander who has been accused of complicity for war crimes in Chechnya, became the Head of Moscow division.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Uniform (tan-colored trousers and boots, red caps and red T-shirts with a logo \u2014 an eagle with his head turned right, a star as a symbol of Russian armed Forces and \u201cYouth Army\u201d inscription) has been designed by Russian Ministry of Defense.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

One of the \u201cYouth Army\u201d curators in the Russian Ministry of Defense, Deputy Minister and armed forces General Nikolai Pankov announced in 2017 that there are no plans for the rapid growth of the \u201cYouth Army\u201d. Nevertheless, by November 2018 the \u201cYouth Army\u201d confirmed having 272,000 members (children aged 8 to 18 years), and on May 2019 the number of \u201cYouth Army\u201d members grew to 501,000 children.<\/p>\n

At the beginning of March 2019, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced it plans to open more than 500 \u201cYouth Army\u201d centers all over the country, based at the officers’ clubs and military training and patriotic education centers. According to the plan, financing, opening, and functioning of such centers would be provided for by the Russian Ministry of Defense.<\/p>\n

First Deputy Head of the \u201cYouth Army\u201d General Staff, Lieutenant General Viktor Buslovskiy at the beginning of 2019 voiced a task set by Minister of Defense Shoigu \u2014 to ensure there are 500,000 members of the \u201cYouth Army\u201d by the end of 2019. Still, as soon as February 26 First Deputy Head of the Main Military and Political Affairs Department of the Armed Forces, General Alexey Tsygankov claimed that the Ministry expects such a rise in numbers by May 9, 2019. Moreover, numbers are expected to double by May 9, 2020, and reach a 1,000,000 members mark:<\/p>\n

\u201cBefore the 75th Great Victory anniversary it is planned to raise the number of the \u201cYouth Army\u201d participants up to 1 million people\u201d \u2014 Elena Slesarenko, Deputy Head of the \u201cYouth Army\u201d General Staff.<\/p>\n

In his turn, Deputy Minister of Defense, Head of the main military-political department of the armed forces Andrey Kartapolov stated that in 2019 the \u201cYouth Army\u201d must emerge in all the Russian schools (approximately 42,000 schools).<\/p>\n

At the same time, there is further and further evidence that participation in the \u201cYouth Army\u201d becomes obligatory:<\/p>\n

\u201cGroup where my grandson studies are practically forced to join the \u201cYouth Army\u201d, [they] thought of coaching 10-year-old child how to handle a gun and so on\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201c[My] son is in the 5th grade. It\u2019s been announced that the whole group must join the \u201cYouth Army\u201d. Can one refuse? And what\u2019s the point in making enemies? There\u2019s nothing to be done, although I dislike the idea. Children are forced to crawl in the dirt and get ready to die\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cActually, this issue is not new, but it was precisely this year [2019] when an informal order has been \u201cpassed down\u201d to have a \u201cYouth Army\u201d division in every school. This, in confidence, was confirmed by the headmasters of the majority of schools to which our editorial staff turned with respective questions\u2026 We were firmly advised to get into this issue, with specific numbers being voiced: no less than 5% of the schoolchildren have to be \u201cYouth Army\u201d members\u201d, \u2014 one of the headmasters tells.<\/p>\n

There is also a word about attempts of the Russian armed forced commandment to forcibly entice officers\u2019 children into the \u201cYouth Army\u201d.<\/p>\n

In the middle of February 2019, the Ministry of Defense also set a \u201cYouth Army\u201d development task for the military-industrial complex enterprises: to establish the \u201cYouth Army\u201d departments at each enterprise and to organize military-patriotic divisions and clubs. Minister of Defense Shoigu\u2019s interest in the \u201cYouth Army\u201d development is noteworthy:<\/p>\n

\u201cSergey Kuzhugetovich pays a lot of attention to the movement\u2019s development, supporting this initiative means supporting [him] personally\u201d.<\/p>\n

So as to raise the \u201cYouth Army\u201d membership numbers, aside from coercion, incentives are also used.<\/p>\n

\u201cMore than 20 higher education institutions in Russia have decided to opt-out for the \u201cYouth Army\u201d members during the admission process. They have agreed to add extra points [for the \u201cYouth Army\u201d members] to the Unified State Exam\u201d, \u2014 Roman Romanenko, Head of the \u201cYouth Army\u201d General Staff, March 29, 2019.<\/p>\n

Not only do the membership numbers of the \u201cYouth Army\u201d grow; so does its structure. At the end of 2017, \u201cYouth Navy\u201d appeared within its structure. A respective cooperation agreement between the \u201cYouth Army\u201d and the Ministry of Transport was signed by: deputy Minister of Transport, Head of the Federal Maritime and River Transport Agency Viktor Olerskiy and (already ex) Head of the \u201cYouth Army\u201d General Staff Dmitriy Trunenkov.<\/p>\n

\"\u201cYouth<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cYouth Navy\u201d and \u201cYouth Army\u201d, Rostov-on-Don<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cYouth Army\u201d members undergo courses on different military disciplines, get familiarized with military equipment, fire automatic arms, do parachute jumping, perform reservist training in camps and at the training grounds.<\/p>\n

\"\u201cYouth<\/a>\u201cYouth Army\u201d, skydiving<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Military training for the \u201cYouth Army\u201d is held both during the extracurricular time and instead of classes as well.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cTo everybody! Tomorrow 13th of February at 2:30 p.m. at school #2 will be meeting for training at the military unit. Children should wear a military uniform, in case they have not \u2014 they should wear school uniform. They must have an exercise book for military training with them. Students will get confirmation notes for presenting at school\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n