Russia is training Ukrainian children to become drone operators for future service in the Russian military or employment in the Russian defense industrial base (DIB). Occupied Luhansk Oblast-based media reported on June 30 that 20 children from occupied Luhansk Oblast took part in the regional stage of the “Pilots of the Future-2025” drone operation competition. The Russian “Movement of the First” youth activism organization, the Russian Drone Racing Federation, and the Luhansk People’s Republic (LNR) Sports Ministry organized the “Pilots of the Future-2025” competition. Participants of the competition, who range from seven to 18 years old, learn how to assemble, program, and control drones and compete against each other in drone obstacle races. Competition winners will take part in the “Pilot of the Future-2025” final in Sochi, Krasnodar Krai, in the coming month.
Russia has been gradually increasing the integration of Ukrainian children into its wider drone development, production, and operation ecosystem. The Ukrainian Eastern Human Rights Group (EHRG) and Institute for Strategic Research and Security (ISRS) released a report in April 2025 that found that Russia has instituted drone training curricula for over 10,000 teenagers in schools throughout occupied Ukraine. The report noted that Russia is trying to incentivize youth participation in drone operator training programs by “gamifying” the process and holding drone racing competitions—an effort which “Pilots of the Future-2025” clearly supports. Drone operation has become a critical part of Russia’s military concept of operations in Ukraine, and Russian officials clearly understand that drone warfare will only grow in importance in future conflicts. Russia’s training of Ukrainian children to become drone developers and operators will prepare these children for future service in the Russian military and augment the Russian DIB’s drone production capabilities.
Key Takeaways:
- Russia is training Ukrainian children to become drone operators for future service in the Russian military or employment in the Russian defense industrial base (DIB).
- Russian occupation officials are using the threat of disconnecting residents of occupied Ukraine from mobile communications networks in order to coerce passportization.
- The Kremlin is introducing a “war risks” insurance program to encourage Russian construction and development in occupied Ukraine. Russian development projects are a core part of Russia’s efforts to permanently and irreversibly subsume Ukraine and complicate any future Ukrainian reintegration efforts.
- Russia continues efforts to steal Ukraine’s agricultural output for its own profit.
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[ISW] 러시아의 공세 캠페인 평가, 2025년 7월 3일
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