Russia Spent $677 Million Turning Schoolchildren Into Future Soldiers, Investigation Finds

Russia has spent roughly 50 billion rubles—more than $677 million—building and expanding two nationwide military-patriotic youth networks designed to prepare schoolchildren for future war, according to an investigation published by Russian independent outlet Vot Tak on May 11.

The investigation found that since 2020, Russian authorities have rapidly expanded the “Avangard” and “Voin” training systems, where teenagers receive basic military instruction, learn to operate drones, wear uniforms, march in formation, and study Kremlin-approved versions of Russian history and military ideology.

The expansion reportedly accelerated after then-Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu proposed opening “Avangard” centers across Russia. In 2021, a Russian leader ordered the creation of such facilities in every city with more than 100,000 residents.

By autumn 2025, investigators say Russia had already opened 147 “Avangard” centers across 70 regions. At least 36.5 billion rubles ($494 million) have reportedly been allocated to maintain the network in 39 regions alone, while another 15 billion rubles ($203 million) from the federal budget went toward the parallel “Voin” system, which now includes 21 branches—four of them operating in occupied Ukrainian territories.

Russian eighth and tenth-grade students are reportedly sent to the camps as part of mandatory “Fundamentals of Security and Defense of the Motherland” courses.

Teenagers undergo firearms drills, first-aid exercises, drone operation training, and military-style competitions between units modeled after branches of the Russian armed forces.

According to the investigation, the flagship “Avangard” center near Moscow can host up to 1,800 teenagers simultaneously and uses a monitoring system called “IRA”—short for “Artificial Intelligence of Avangard”—which tracks cadet performance and displays rankings across screens throughout the complex.

The militarization programs have also expanded into major youth camps on the Black Sea coast, including facilities in occupied Crimea.

During multiweek sessions, teenagers reportedly combine military training with ideological courses focused on Russia’s version of history and the armed forces.

The investigation additionally noted that the head of the central “Avangard” complex, Darya Borisova, comes from a family tied to Russia’s military and intelligence establishment.

According to leaked pension fund data cited by “Vot Tak,” her monthly income reportedly exceeds the officially declared salary of Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

Earlier, Russian kindergartens across the country were staging mass “Victory parades” for preschoolers, who marched in military uniforms with toy weapons and rode in strollers stylized as combat equipment.

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