As the war in Ukraine continues, so does Russia’s international isolation. In response to the demands of a large-scale conventional conflict and the international opprobrium for starting the largest European conflict in 80 years, the Russian government is engaging in increasingly radical measures to militarize its society.
The Militarization of Russian Society
According to a recent intelligence assessment by the British Ministry of Defence, there has been a significant increase in the number of Russian day care centers that offer military cadet programs to children.
Indeed, according to the independent Russian media outlet Verstka, over 100 kindergartens across Russia now offer military training courses.
“Pre-school children are reportedly taught to march, practice hand-to-hand combat ’in a playful manner,’ handle firearms, and ‘meet with participants of the special military operation,’” the British Ministry of Defence assessed in a recent intelligence report on the Ukraine War.
Courses are intended to promote patriotism and indoctrinate students into the rigors and demands of military life.
According to open-source reports, in some cities, cadet groups are linked to a particular service or organization within the Russian Armed Forces, such as the Rosgvardia (the Russian national guard) or the police.
“The reported increase in military cadet programs in Russian nurseries forms part of the highly likely continuing militarization of Russian education,” the British Ministry of Defence assessed.
Russia has a national service system. Twice a year, Russian men who reach the necessary age must report to the military and serve their time in the Russian Army, Navy, or Aerospace Forces.
Once they are discharged, they remain part of an active reserve that the Kremlin can call up if necessary. Moscow has repeatedly called up reservists to support operations in Ukraine.
By introducing military courses as early as preschool and kindergarten, the Kremlin seeks to have a ready and receptive pool of potential future soldiers.
“It is likely that the politicisation and militarisation of Russian education, coupled with increasing ideological indoctrination of Russian children more broadly, will perpetuate aggressive, expansionist Russian nationalism in the longer term,” the British Ministry of Defence concluded.
How Did It Get to This
The war in Ukraine is the largest conflict on European soil since World War II. What began as a short “special military operation” quickly escalated into a full-blown conventional conflict. The Russian government was taken by surprise.
Intelligence and military assessments, after all, had told Russian president Vladimir Putin that the operation would last only between three days and a couple of weeks.
It did not. And the Russian state had to pour increasingly more resources into its invasion of Ukraine.
Besides weapon systems and money, Russia needed men to fight the war.
As of November 2025, the Russian forces have suffered over 1.1 million casualties killed and wounded in the fighting.
The need to provide a continuous flow of troops to the frontlines, as well as the international isolation of Russia, has led the Kremlin to increasingly radical measures.
(National Interest)
