Russia Recruited Children To Design War Drones, Told Them To Conceal Details: Report
Russian teens are recruited to design and test drones for Ukraine war via state-backed competitions, starting with video games and moving to military equipment.
Russian teenagers are being recruited and trained to design and test drones used in the war in Ukraine through a series of state-backed competitions that begin with children's video games and escalate into hands-on experience with military equipment, an investigation by exiled Russian outlet The Insider revealed.
The report detailed how young people are lured in through innocuous-seeming games like Berloga, a 2022-launched title where 'intelligent bears" fend off bees using drones. Top players receive academic rewards and can later be fast-tracked into competitions such as 'Big Challenges', where the most promising are headhunted by defence-linked companies.
'The kids are actively involved in modelling components of systems for various drones," one teenager said as per the report, adding, 'I know of several people at least who were modelling UAV components for major enterprises."
A Secret War Effort Disguised As Innovation
While the competitions are branded as educational opportunities, students who spoke with The Insider confirmed they were fully aware of the military applications of their work but were told to keep that quiet.
One teenager said, 'We were forbidden to say that it was needed for the war and we invented civilian applications. It's a children's program. A project must always have a dual purpose, especially when you're a school student. It's an unwritten rule I've observed at every competition."
The report also found that some teens are being recruited directly into military drone factories. As per the report, the facilities invite 14- and 15-year-old students to study drone manufacturing at an affiliated college where they are later absorbed into the workforce.
The recruitment effort aligns with Russian President Vladimir Putin's push to increase domestic drone production as Moscow battles Kyiv in the skies with both short-range FPV drones and long-range kamikaze UAVs.
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