{"id":9976,"date":"2025-09-14T19:08:33","date_gmt":"2025-09-14T17:08:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kaizen-blog.org\/?p=9976"},"modified":"2025-09-14T19:13:38","modified_gmt":"2025-09-14T17:13:38","slug":"russlands-kriegskinder-wie-der-kreml-schueler-systematisch-fuer-den-krieg-rekrutiert","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kaizen-blog.org\/en\/russlands-kriegskinder-wie-der-kreml-schueler-systematisch-fuer-den-krieg-rekrutiert\/","title":{"rendered":"Russia\u2019s War Children \u2013 How the Kremlin Is Systematically Recruiting Students for War"},"content":{"rendered":"

How serious the Russian state is about the systematic militarization of children is revealed by our research into the preliminary rounds of Zarnitsa 2.0 in the Ural Federal District: What was once a harmless school game with a sporting character is now a paramilitary large-scale maneuver orchestrated by the highest state authorities. The participants \u2013 many of them still minors \u2013 were not welcomed by teachers but by a plenipotentiary of the Russian president himself, flanked by regional power brokers and veterans with official hero status. This staging alone is aimed at instilling in children an early sense of loyalty and military duty toward the state. The children competed in units with names like \"Army North\" or \"Army South\" and conducted realistic maneuvers with clear command hierarchy \u2013 including capturing strategic points, tactical movement, and responding to simulated gunfire. <\/p>\n\n\n\n