Museums of the “special military operation” and Military Training for Six-Year-Olds: the New Norm of russian Childhood

In russia, the ideological education of children has become state policy. From kindergartens to colleges, programs are being implemented that shape young people’s perception of war as a norm of life and service to the state as the main value.

In October 2024, putin instructed that preschoolers be taught the “basic values of the russian state” and that children be worked with “taking into account their desire to be soldiers”. After that, “Conversations about Important Things” classes began in kindergartens across the country, and the number of cadet groups increased sharply. By October 2025, such groups were operating in at least 26 regions. Children aged four to seven are taught parade, hand-to-hand fighting, get acquainted with weapons and body armor, and are involved in weaving camouflage nets and meeting with “heroes of the ‘special military operation’” – among whom there are often former convicts sentenced for serious crimes.

Kindergartens are encouraged to create museums dedicated to the invasion of Ukraine. Their task is to “teach patriotism and pride in the country’s defenders” and to involve families in volunteer initiatives in support of the occupiers.

Ideological work continues in schools. Starting in November, traditional bells will be replaced by “modern patriotic tracks”– the ministry of education believes that this will promote “unity and love for the motherland”. Lectures on criminal responsibility have been introduced for middle school students. In parallel, schools and colleges have begun to offer “family studies” classes, developed in collaboration with the russian orthodox church, where teenagers are encouraged to “sacrifice themselves for the motherland” and create large families.

Against the background of these changes, russia’s authorities are tightening control over the behavior of teenagers. The state duma is considering a draft law to lower the age of criminal responsibility for sabotage to 14 and to abolish the statute of limitations for such offences. Since the start of the war, russian courts have already convicted at least 158 minors on charges of “terrorism” and “sabotage”.

The education system in russia is gradually turning into a tool for shaping a controlled generation that is prepared from childhood not for education and a profession, but for military service.