Russia to double military training class time in schools to 50% from September
A decree signed this week raises basic military instruction from roughly a quarter of school hours to half, the most extensive militarisation of Russian civilian education since the Soviet era
Summary
Russia will double the share of class time devoted to basic military training in all state schools to 50% of instruction hours starting September 1, 2026, according to a decree reported by Meduza on June 25. The curriculum change, which encompasses marksmanship, infantry drill, weapons familiarisation, and civil defence, is the most extensive militarisation of Russian civilian schooling since the Soviet era. It follows a 2023 decision to reintroduce basic military training as a subject, which was then optional or limited in scope. The September 1 deadline, the start of the Russian academic year, signals that the regime wants the change operationalised immediately rather than phased in. Vladimir Putin has not commented publicly; the decree was issued through the education ministry.
The split
Meduza, operating from exile in Latvia, framed the change as a mobilisation-era shift, noting that it mirrors Soviet wartime education policy and signals the Kremlin expects the war to last years, not months. Russian state media covered the announcement as a straightforward security and patriotic education measure. Western outlets focused on the demographic implication: Russia is preparing a generation of school-age children for military service in a conflict that has already consumed over 1.3 million military personnel casualties. There was no reported public opposition inside Russia.
By the numbers
- 50%, new share of school instruction time to be devoted to basic military training starting September 1
- 2023, year basic military training was reintroduced to Russian schools (the 2026 decree doubles it)
- 1,397,060, Russian military personnel losses reported by Ukrinform since February 2022
- 14.9 trillion rubles, Russia's planned 2026 military expenditure (6.3% of GDP)
Why it matters
A state that doubles military training in civilian schools is signalling to its own population, and to adversaries, that it is planning for a long war. The measure also addresses a structural problem: Russia is running out of volunteer soldiers and needs to create a trained reserve that can be mobilised without the same political cost as an official general mobilisation. Doubling training in schools achieves that over a three-to-five-year pipeline, while avoiding the optics of a second announced mobilisation wave that Kremlin research suggests would be deeply unpopular.
What to watch
- The October curriculum rollout and whether schools in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory are included
- Any Duma legislation expanding conscription age or service period that accompanies the school change
- Ukrainian intelligence assessment of the policy's impact on the medium-term Russian manpower pool
- Whether the curriculum includes operational training (map reading, vehicle operation, signals) that would accelerate field readiness beyond basic drill