Why Russia aims to elevate prestige of military service for youth, ISW explains
Photo: The Kremlin is planning future possible conflicts (vk.com/avangard_patriot)
The Kremlin likely aims to boost the prestige of military service among Russian youth as part of its ongoing military ambitions against Ukraine and potential future conflicts with Western nations, reports the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
Analysts note that Russian President Vladimir Putin continues to expand military-patriotic education programs for young people both in Russia and in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. These efforts come ahead of the upcoming Year of the Defender of the Fatherland in 2025.
On December 20, Putin approved a list of four directives for the Russian government. These include:
- Establishing and developing a network of military-sports camps to promote youth conscription into military service;
- Expanding the Kremlin's Roads of Victory program;
- Creating an online platform for organizing military-patriotic education programs for Russian youth;
- Converting one children's health camp into a year-round facility.
"The Kremlin's Roads of Victory program is aimed at fostering patriotic feelings in modern children and youth and offers free excursions to Russian cultural and historical sites of military glory for Russian children and youth," the ISW reported.
The ISW notes that the Kremlin has previously used military and sports training camps like Avangard to militarize and impose Russian cultural and historical narratives on Ukrainian youth. It appears that Russia is expanding such camps nationwide as part of its long-term efforts to build its military capabilities.
Additionally, the Kremlin plans to expand and elevate other youth military-patriotic organizations, such as Yunarmiya and the Movement of the First, to militarize Russian youth further.
It also uses its Time of Heroes program to appoint so-called veterans of the war in Ukraine to government positions, aiming to militarize Russian society at large.
On December 20, Putin announced that the Kremlin would designate 2025 as the Year of the Defender of the Fatherland, signaling plans to align Russia's political and ideological priorities around veterans and the broader militarization of society.
ISW's conclusion
Analysts conclude that the Kremlin likely intends to use these military-patriotic organizations to encourage and enhance the appeal of military service among Russian youth and society. This aligns with the Kremlin's ongoing preparations for long-term military operations in Ukraine and potential future armed conflicts with Western nations.
A few days ago, reports emerged that Russians are encouraging children from orphanages in occupied territories to enroll in a military academy in captured Mariupol. A similar incident occurred in the temporarily occupied part of the Zaporizhzhia region.
