Russia’s Defense Minister Andrei Belousov has announced a decade-long overhaul of the country’s military education system — a move framed as preparation for future conflicts.
According to a report by Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation on July 8, the initiative is part of a broader Kremlin strategy to militarize society and shift civilian institutions toward wartime footing.
The new program, titled Military Education in the Service of the Fatherland, aims to revamp training at Russia’s military academies based on lessons learned from its ongoing war against Ukraine. The plan also outlines “forward-looking requirements” to train future officers for potential new wars.
As part of the strategy, Russia’s Ministry of Defense intends to deepen collaboration with civilian universities to produce specialists in fields like IT and artificial intelligence for the armed forces.
“This is yet another confirmation that all of Russia’s so-called ‘peacekeeping’ rhetoric is nothing but a smokescreen. Such educational strategies make it clear that the terrorist state has no intention of stopping — it is laying the groundwork for future acts of aggression. The international community must understand: if the aggressor is not stopped now, the pain and suffering caused by Russia will only continue to grow,” the statement reads.
Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation warns this is not about defense — it’s about preparing for further aggression.
Earlier, it was reported Russia’s security services are targeting Ukrainian teenagers via encrypted messaging apps, enticing them with promises of “easy money” to carry out sabotage, espionage, and even terrorist acts.
