Russia devises a plan to educate their youth at a military-patriotic center worth $63 million, all set to be established in the outer skirts of Moscow, according to a report by the RBC news website.
The militarization of young Russians has been a contentious topic for the last several years. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s establishment of a Youth Army in the latter half of 2015 led to undue criticism, drawing comparisons with the notorious Hitler’s Youth Army.
All high schooler youth in Russia will attend a weeklong “military-patriotic education” center, once a year at the Russian Defense Ministry’s $350 million Patriot Park. “We’re discussing if [attendance at the youth education center] will be part of a compulsory or voluntary program,” one of the sources quoted.
The Moscow city and Moscow region administrations will each expend 2 billion rubles ($31.5 million) on the project. The “Avangard” teaching center’s construction is expected to start in September. This latest move by the Russian government comes months after the launching of a state-sponsored news channel targeting the youth of Russia, with dedicated programs related to World War II. In March, security officials also announced that delinquent youngsters will be sent to military-patriotic reeducation camps.