“Gvardeets”: how Russia makes soldiers out of children
The Russian Federation (Russia, RF) is actively forming a mobilization reserve, channeling substantial resources to propaganda and military training, in particular for children and youth. Constantly starting armed conflicts, the state needs a considerable number of people who are ready to voluntarily fight on the side of the aggressor. Therefore, the militarization of the younger generation has become a common practice for Russia and is one of its main priorities. As a result, many teenagers, having reached the adulthood, actually become trained soldiers, joining the ranks of the Russian army.
This practice has become especially active since the start of the war against Ukraine in 2014. Children and youth are being involved in “patriotic” games and programs that actually prepare them for military service. In 2016, the “Young Army” movement was created – an example of the systematic militarization of young people, which currently has 1.85 million. participants, of which more than 32,200 children are in the territories of Ukraine temporarily occupied by the Russian Federation (Temporarily occupied territories, TOT). According to Vladislav Golovin, the head of the organization, more than 120,000 graduates of the “Youth Army” serve in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation or its law enforcement agencies, and some of them take part in the so-called “special military operation” (the so-called. “SVO”).
Special attention is paid to children from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. Their militarization pursues several key goals:
- The formation of a “new” identity that weakens or even completely erases their connection with Ukraine and fosters loyalty to Russia. These processes are often covered by the rhetoric of “countering terrorism and extremism”, where children and youth from the TOT are presented as a potential threat to the Kremlin’s ideological policy.
- The preparation and indoctrination into military ideologies and practices, based on the notion that children can be used in combat operations against Ukraine, as they are viewed as a resource for achieving Russia’s strategic objectives.
- The establishment of potential barriers to mutual understanding and the integration of children from the temporarily occupied territories (TOT) after de-occupation.
Since 2022, these processes have significantly intensified. Pro-Russian military-patriotic events in the TOT are held both during the school year and during the summer holidays. In addition, children are taken to Russia for systematic military training. Some of these projects have been implemented for a long time, in particular, we are talking about the “Gvardeets” military training.
How Russia takes children from TOT to “Gvardeets” training camps
When they opened, their location and organizers
The Young Army’s military-patriotic camp called “Gvardeets” (“Guardsman”) has been held in the Volga Federal District of the Russian Federation (VFD) since 2013. Children from the TOT – the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, the city of Sevastopol, Donetsk, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia regions are regularly taken there. More than 5,000 young people, including children from the TOT, took part in the project.
The “Gvardeets” camp sessions are held annually at the Penza Artillery Engineering Institute – a branch of the ‘Military Academy of Logistics named after General of the Army A.V. Khryulov’ of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.
The “Gvardeets” project was initiated by the authorized representative of the President of the Russian Federation in the Volga Federal District, Mikhail Babich, who held this position at the time, with the support of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, the DOSAAF (Russian Volunteer Society for Cooperation with the Army, Aviation, and Fleet), and the governments of the Nizhny Novgorod and Penza regions.
In the photo: Mikhail Babich, Plenipotentiary Representative of the President of the Russian Federation in the Volga Federal District from December 2011 to August 2018. Source: http://pfo.gov.ru/district/STAFFPFO/babich/ , archive https://archive.ph/wip/MqT4N
In the photo: Igor Komarov, Plenipotentiary Representative of the President of the Russian Federation in the Volga Federal District from 2018 to the present. Source: http://pfo.gov.ru/polpred/polpred/ , archive https://archive.ph/wip/geSwV
As of today, the camp sessions are held under the personal patronage of the current plenipotentiary representative of the President of the Russian Federation in the Volga Federal District Igor Komarov, and the governor of the Penza region Oleg Melnichenko – they give the project weight and public attention.
Melnichenko personally opens the training camp meets the teams, including teenagers from the TOT, and presents awards.
“The project has long proven itself as an effective tool for preparing individuals for service in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. It has become a training ground for personnel for the army, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ministry of Emergency Situations, FSB, and Rosgvardia (Russian Guard)” – O. Melnichenko, August 2022.
Source: https://t.me/omelnichenko/6569 , archive https://archive.ph/wip/Vv76G
The training camp program includes familiarization with army life, learning about weapons, and basic combat skills. This is how the Russian authorities use the “Gvardeets” as a tool for the systematic militarization of children, employing administrative resources to form future personnel reserves.
Who participates in the “Gvardeets” training camps: involvement of children from the Temporarily occupied territories (TOT)
The participants of the training camp are 9th and 10th grade students from secondary and cadet schools, as well as members of military-patriotic clubs who are aiming to enroll in military universities of the Ministry of Defense, the Rosgvardia, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the FSB and the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia, and to serve in the Russian army.
However, there is information about a young man from the TOT of the Donetsk region, who was only 13 years old and had just transferred to the 8th grade at the time of participation in the training camp.
In 2025, the “Gvardeets” camp takes place from August 1 to August 21 and includes a “record-breaking” 18 teams – a total of 360 children. Representatives of all regions of the Volga Federal District, as well as children from the TOT of Luhansk, Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions came to the Penza region of Russia. For the first time, children from Brest (Republic of Belarus) are also taking part.
For teenagers from the TOT of the Zaporizhzhia region, this is already their third such camp session: a team of 20 participants from four Raions and occupied Berdiansk and Melitopol first attended in the summer of 2023 together with children from the so-called “DPR”.
Regarding children from other TOTs of Ukraine:
- Autonomous Republic of Crimea: children were taken to the training camp immediately after the occupation in 2014; open sources also report about their participation in 2016.
- Sevastopol: Participated at least once – in 2017.
- Donetsk region: children were taken to the camp for the first time in 2015, and they are the “most active” participants – they attended the training camp at least five times (2015, 2022-2025).
- Luhansk region: teenagers participated in training camp sessions in 2016 and 2025.
As of 2025, only children from the TOT of the Kherson region have not yet been taken to the Penza region to participate in the “Gvardeets” meeting.
In general, these camp sessions demonstrate a systematic approach to militarization and ideological indoctrination of teenagers from the TOT.
What does the program of training camp sessions involve?
In the official documents, the training program is defined as “initial military-professional and pre-conscription training of young people”, which in practice functions as a system for training future soldiers for the Russian army. The organizers claim that such training ensures the comprehensive development of personal qualities of the future defenders of the Fatherland (i.e., Russia), as well as their ability and readiness to fulfill their civic and constitutional duty to defend its interests in both peacetime and wartime.
The “Gvardeets” camp is conducted with “deep immersion of participants in the real conditions of life and routine of the modern Armed Forces of the Russian Federation“, accustoming teenagers to strict discipline and Military lifestyle, and forming their perception of military service as the only correct path of life.
A high school student from the so-called “DPR”, Roman Ileshenko, told the Russian media during the one of the camp sessions: “In the future, I plan to serve in the army. The “Gvardeets” military training is a wonderful way to test your capabilities, live in a barracks, and go through the young soldier’s course. At school, we spent a long time preparing for the competitions.” His words illustrate how the militarized system of education effectively shapes the worldview of teenagers from the TOT, instilling in them the idea of serving in the Russian army as a natural path of life, while also fostering loyalty to the army of the occupying country and a readiness to join its ranks. According to the organizers, as of 2022, following the previous years of the training camp’s operation, 51 participants expressed a desire to enroll a military university in Penza, and some have already become officers of the Russian army. Currently, 26 former Young Army members are cadets of the Military Academy, where the ”Gvardeets” training camp sessions are held.
During the 2024 closing ceremony, participants and guests were shown staged “heroic episodes of battles on the territory of the Special Military Operation (SVO)” with the use of military equipment. At the end of the camp session, the guardsmen solemnly took the oath of the Young Army and joined the ranks of the Young Army movement. The oath “to loyalty to the Fatherland and the Young Army brotherhood” was administered by Young Army Deputy Chief of Staff Yekaterina Chizhikova (at that time).
This year’s “Gvardeets” camp was opened on August 1, 2025, in Penza with the participation of the Deputy Plenipotentiary Representative of the President of the Russian Federation in the Volga Federal District and the Heroes of Russia (i.e., participants of the so-called “SVO”). The event is dedicated to the Year of the Defender of the Fatherland and the 80th anniversary of the Victory. The stay of the participants is organized strictly in accordance with the rules of internal regulations: the use of smartphones and other internet-connected devices is prohibited, and leaving the campgrounds without permission from the camp commandant is not allowed.
Over the course of three weeks, the “guardsmen” undergo comprehensive training that includes shooting, physical training and drill exercises, along with initial military training involving field exercises. They acquire knowledge in military-applied disciplines, participate in sports competitions, practice terrain orientation, and get acquainted with the historical and cultural monuments of the region.
The program includes military-applied sports (such as air rifle shooting, power gymnastics, grenade throwing, etc.), as well as military-patriotic methodological work: lessons on the history of Russia, basics of military science, and creative competitions. All activities have clear objectives: to foster motivation for military service, to instill strict discipline, and to educate future servicemen and loyal citizens.
In the photo: young men from the TOT of Luhansk region at the fire training class (studying the Makarov pistol), August 2025, “Gvardeets” training camp. Source: https://www.penza-press.ru/news/society/84653/?ysclid=mebfvgwbr0876299043 , archive https://archive.ph/wip/nTCC5
In addition, in 2025, as a part of classes at the “Start” sports and training complex, teenagers learned the basics of UAV operation: from piloting FPV drones in a simulator to 3D modeling and assembling quadcopters. Participants also attend meetings with active military personnel and veterans of the so-called. “SVO”, who share their experience and “valuable advice” with the “future defenders” of Russia. These meetings serve to glorify servicemen who take part in the war against Ukraine, portraying them as heroes despite their role as occupiers and participants in criminal actions.
The “Gvardeets” and similar initiatives are part of Russia’s systematic policy in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, aimed at the militarization of children and youth, turning them into a mobilization reserve for the war against their own country. Military camps form loyalty to the Russian army, glorify the occupiers, and deliberately erase the Ukrainian identity of teenagers through manipulation and propaganda.
Instead of experiencing a full childhood, children are subjected to military drills, master weapons and discipline, effectively “pledging allegiance” to Russia. The militarization of children in the TOT is a war crime deliberately implemented by the Kremlin aimed at establishing control over the occupied lands.
Article was prepared by the Center for Civic Education “Almenda” within the framework of the project “Defending Identity: Protecting Ukrainian Children in Occupied Territories”. The content of this document is the sole responsibility of the Public Organization “Center for Civic Education “Almenda” and does not necessarily reflect the position of Civil Rights Defenders.
