Military training hours in Russian schools have been doubled

Military training hours in Russian schools have been doubled

The number of hours allocated for basic military training in Russian schools has been increased by more than twofold. This was stated by the Russian Minister of Education, Sergey Kravtsov, to the "RIA Novosti" agency.

"We have increased the hours of basic military training. Starting from the current academic year, 50 percent of the course on the Basics of Security and Defense of the Motherland, which is 68 hours over four academic years, will be allocated to it," the agency quotes the minister as saying.

In the context of the war against Ukraine, Russian authorities have introduced military training for students in grades 8–11 in schools. Until 2026, 20 percent of the Basics of Security and Defense of the Motherland course was allocated to this subject.

Basic military training also existed in Soviet schools. In 1993, it was removed from the curriculum, but in 2023, it was reinstated as part of the lessons within the Basics of Life Safety ("OBZh") subject. Students in grades 10–11 were taught to fire Kalashnikov assault rifles, throw hand grenades, and administer first aid. Starting from 2024, the Basics of Security and Defense of the Motherland was introduced in Russian schools instead of "OBZh".

In May 2026, the "Vot Tak" publication wrote that the Russian government had allocated more than 50 billion rubles to military-patriotic centers for schoolchildren over five years. In addition, researchers at Yale University identified at least 210 special educational institutions in Russia and the occupied territories of Ukraine. According to their data, since the start of the war, forcibly displaced Ukrainian children have been placed in these institutions and are being taught compulsory military training.