Occupied Crimea becomes Russia’s UAV boot camp—schoolchildren groomed for drone war against Ukraine

The Russian authorities in occupied Crimea have likely created a full-fledged infrastructure for training specialists in unmanned aerial systems (UAVs), according to Crimea.Realities, citing experts. The annexation of the peninsula in 2014 became the starting point for Russia’s large-scale war against Ukraine.

From schoolchildren to killers: a full training cycle

According to statements by Moscow-installed head of Crimea Sergei Aksyonov, the peninsula is the only region on Ukrainian territory where a full UAV training cycle has allegedly been built, from selecting schoolchildren and students to their inclusion in the personnel reserve of the Russian army.

“The process includes both the militarization of youth through courses, trainings, and schools in cooperation with colleges and universities, as well as the training of active soldiers at numerous Crimean training grounds,” says Borys Babin, Doctor of Law and expert at the Association for the Reintegration of Crimea.

Russian media report a large-scale training center for UAV operators, described as the largest in Russia. 

The course lasts over 50 days, and more than 1,500 Russian servicemen have already completed training.

Among the key organizers is Maksym Daniielian, founder of a social training center for unmanned systems in Feodosia.

Militarization of youth and propaganda support

According to experts, the training activity is accompanied by a large-scale propaganda campaign, and the ambitions of the Russian authorities go further: plans are reportedly being developed to open a military academy in Simferopol to train officers of unmanned systems forces.

At the same time, Crimean human rights defenders and experts stress that it is currently difficult to accurately assess the scale of personnel training and the prospects for expanding this activity, as much of the information remains unverified.