Russia: Russian children and youth participate in the youth army Junarmija
In Russia, not only reservists are being mobilized for the war in Ukraine. On another and more long-term level, it also actively works to mobilize patriotism.
All the way down to the younger age groups, and even quite a few kindergarten children have been involved in military-patriotic activities in recent years.
“Youth Army”
The patriotic youth organization, Junarmija, or in Norwegian “Youth Army” has branches all over the country. Here, children and young people from the age of 11 are drilled in what to do in the event of war. They also receive training in weapon handling.
If they are asked to disassemble and reassemble an automatic weapon, they can do it in no time, writesTV 2 Denmark who has visited one of the training camps for Junarmija.
According to the organization itself, they have over one million members. They call themselves a «movement» and consist of very many different types of groups all over Russia.
– Some groups focus on sports, others are more focused on the military. In the last years, a lot of work has been done to make these different groups more like, and migrate to more children. For example, they share training managers, explains Håvard Bækken to TV 2.
In 2015/2016, some of these were merged into one big movement, and since then more have been added.
Bækken is a senior researcher at the Department of Defense Studies, and has done a lot of research on militarism and patriotic upbringing in Russia. He explains the background and objectives of the Russian Youth Army.
He has also made striking changes in the activity organization in the last seven months.
Children and young people from 8-18 years
Barna as TV 2 Danmark has met a trainer on military obstacles and can put on a gas mask in seconds.
All children and young people between the ages of eight and 18 can join.
– It is a stated goal to build military patriotism, and it focuses on healthy discipline and conservative values. Many consider it a good way to socialize children, especially those children who struggle with this before, says Bækken.
It has been a huge recruitment process for several years aimed at schools, sports teams and child welfare institutions, among others. If the organization has one million members as they themselves claim, it means that they have recruited approximately seven percent of the target group, according to Bækken.
– Another goal is to give children and young people basic military training and discipline, and tempt them to choose a military career, he says.
Whether they succeed in the latter is uncertain. One can assume that children who have been with Junarmija more often choose a military career path than others, but there can be several reasons for this – among other things, they recruit from the same social strata as the armed forces.
Bækken points out that similar military training of young people takes place in many western countries as well, including the USA.
The youth army was created by a decree of Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2015 after Russia occupied the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea and Russian-backed separatists started hostilities in eastern Ukraine.
Supporting the soldiers
Since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24 this year, there has been a change in the activity of the Youth Army.
– In the beginning, it was as if they pretended there was no war. Gradually, the young people have been activated to support the Russian soldiers. Among other things, it runs letter campaigns. The children and young people write letters or draw pictures to the soldiers at the front to show their support, says Bækken.
The letters are folded into a triangle – a symbol that draws the lines back to similar letter writing during the Second World War.
– Young people create flash mobs and often wear their uniforms to show their patriotism. They take part in ceremonies, lay wreaths and do other symbolic activities, he continues
Advertises
On the website of the Russian Ministry of Defense, it is a whole section dedicated to the Youth Army. On the website for the organization itself, the slogan «Education of citizens and patriots» stands above graphic videos of military ships, planes and vehicles in battle.
«Being a soldier and defending the fatherland is a job for a real man. Many dream of it already at a young age. Who doesn’t want to become strong, brave, learn to shoot a gun, drive a tank and pilot a warship or a fighter plane”, the page reads.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has attended the organization’s events, and Russian President Vladimir Putin has praised the movement.
Distressed barn
– The youth army has branches in almost all schools. When the children are introduced to the movement, they are very interested, Jelena N., who is a secondary school inspector in Yekaterinburg, tells TV 2 Denmark.
According to Jelena, it is not necessary to have any special prerequisites to become a member of the Youth Army.
Everyone is welcome in the organization, but Jelena N. says that, in her opinion, it is mostly children who do badly at school who join.
– They are attracted by the exciting things about the army. They like that they can get a nice uniform so they can show off and that they can take part in parades, says Jelena N. to TV 2 Danmark.
Teacher of the “art of war”
One of the Russians who helps train the children in the Youth Army is Alexander Mukhatiev. He is a retired colonel and now heads the youth army headquarters in the Mari El region.
– I have started the Youth Army here in Mari-El, and am very positive about the movement, says Alexander Mukhatjev to the channel.
The colonel goes on to say that they teach the children the art of war, patriotism and many other things.
War at school
Immediately after the invasion of Ukraine, several Russian politicians talked about introducing basic military training as a rapid part of the school curriculum.
When the Soviet Union existed, military training was part of the teaching in schools, and the subject contained much of the same that the children in the Youth Army learn today.
In several of the Russian schools, increased militarization is already underway, according to Natalia N., a teacher at a school in Yekaterinburg.
She says that there are regular parades for the children and that ordinary school concerts now have a military theme.
– I remember a concert where children in uniform had to stand in pouring rain and sing patriotic songs for two hours, she says.
Attractive to poor families
The authority has made it attractive for children and young people to use the organisation’s training camps, which are often located on the coast and in scenic areas.
According to Danish TV 2’s information, the food is good, and according to the teachers, children from poor families can have experiences and stays that many parents do not have the opportunity to give their children.
– We take in children throughout the year on three or four shifts a month. There are between 100 and 120 children on each shift, says the head of the youth army in the Mari El region, Alexander Mukhatjev.
Among other things, the children play military games and practice surviving nuclear attacks.