{"id":7823,"date":"2025-05-06T18:35:12","date_gmt":"2025-05-06T16:35:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/almenda.org\/?p=7823"},"modified":"2025-06-03T15:38:42","modified_gmt":"2025-06-03T13:38:42","slug":"gra-zarnicya-2-0-vijskovij-vishkil-ditej-na-tot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/almenda.org\/en\/gra-zarnicya-2-0-vijskovij-vishkil-ditej-na-tot\/","title":{"rendered":"Zarnitsa 2.0 Game: Military Training for Children in the TOT"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

The educational environment in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine (TOT) has undergone dramatic changes under the influence of Russian policy. Monitoring of open sources \u2013 websites and social media pages of educational institutions, the so-called \u2018Ministries of Education\u2019 and youth organizations \u2013 demonstrates the profound militarization and indoctrination of children and young people in the TOT. The news and photos look like scenes from Soviet movies: children wearing military uniforms, revival of Soviet era games and movements, military events and mandatory participation in ‘patriotic’ events. However, this is not a movie \u2013 it is the harsh reality and daily life of Ukrainian children living under occupation.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The school environment, extracurricular activities, and educational programs are all steeped in militarism and propaganda aimed at erasing Ukrainian identity and fostering loyalty to the occupying power. A striking example of this system is Zarnitsa 2.0 game, a large-scale project aimed at training a potential mobilization reserve for the army of the Russian Federation (RF, Russia), including Ukrainian children in the TOT.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

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History behind Zarnitsa Game and its transformation into Zarnitsa 2.0<\/h2>\r\n

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Zarnitsa (the word zarnitsa literally means ‘heat lightning’) is a young pioneer military-patriotic game<\/a><\/span> launched in the 1960s in the USSR to prepare schoolchildren for military service. The game was invented by a rural teacher from the Perm Region (now the Perm Territory of the Russian Federation), Zoya Krotova. In 1964, she came up<\/a><\/span> with a competition for children: the kids were divided into teams, such as ‘pilots’, ‘sailors’, ‘infantry’, and other ‘military’; and their mission was to capture the enemy\u2019s flag.” Each player had paper shoulder marks attached, which the opponents tried to tear off. Anyone who had one shoulder mark torn off was considered wounded, and participants who lost both shoulder marks were eliminated from the game. It was first held<\/a> on February 23, 1964<\/span>, in the Perm Region, and two years later it became widespread throughout the Soviet Union.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

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In the image:<\/b> The emblem of the All-Union Young Pioneer Military Sports Game Zarnitsa. Source: <\/span>https:\/\/surl.li\/hakzpf<\/span><\/a><\/p>\r\n

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According to open source information, in the first five years of Zarnitsa, about 20 million schoolchildren from all over the USSR took part<\/a> in various levels of the game<\/span>. Despite such widespread involvement of children, there were no clear rules for the competition. The rules varied depending on the number of participants, weather conditions, or the availability of necessary equipment. It could be either a regular school competition or a large-scale combat reenactment.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

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Photo: Zarnitsa competition, USSR, archive \u00a0https:\/\/archive.ph\/wip\/I33oy<\/a><\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n

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After the collapse of the USSR, Zarnitsa did not disappear completely; it continued to be held in Russia, without uniform rules and centralized organization at the federal level. Similar events continued to be held in some other countries, including Ukraine, but they had no clear ideological component.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

In general, many countries around the world have pre-conscription or pre-basic training programs for young people, which usually cover the fundamentals of first aid, military knowledge, orienteering, or teamwork, without being overly militarized. In the Russian case, these activities go beyond the usual training: Children are not only taught basic skills, but also the idea of a constant threat from the outside and the need to defend Russia with arms in hand. In addition, Zarnitsa in the Russian Federation has undergone significant transformations, and now the skills taught to young people can hardly be called ‘basic’. They include more complex and specific military knowledge and skills that prepare children to participation in real combat operations. The involvement of children from the TOT in such programs is particularly disturbing, as it violates international humanitarian law.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

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Zarnitsa saw an active revival<\/a> after the launch<\/span> of the All-Russian Children’s and Youth Movement of the First in 2022, modeled after the Soviet Union’s Young Pioneers. In 2023, the Movement, together with the Znanie Society<\/span>, developed a game project called <\/span>Zarnitsa:<\/span><\/i> Legends of the Future<\/span><\/i>, the final stage of which took place<\/span> in the Nizhny Novgorod Region from September 22 to 28. The event was attended by 240 teenagers aged 14 to 16 from 14 regions of Russia, including 15 children<\/span> from the TOT of Donetsk Region. The game was supported <\/a><\/span>by the Voin (Warrior) Center<\/span>, Yunarmiya (Young Army), Rosmolodezh, MIREA Russian Technological University and other organizations<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

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“<\/span>Zarnitsa is one of those projects that instill extremely important qualities: <\/span><\/i>courage, fortitude, self-sacrifice<\/i><\/b> \u2013 all of which we see today in the <\/span><\/i>feats of the special military operation participants.<\/i><\/b> It is very important that <\/span><\/i>by watching them, we strive to cultivate and nurture these qualities not only in ourselves, but also in the younger generation […]<\/i><\/b>,<\/span><\/i>” Maksim Dreval, CEO of the Russian Society Znanie, described<\/a> the game<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n

Photo:<\/b> Maksim Dreval, CEO of the Znanie Society<\/span><\/p>\r\n

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A distinctive feature of this Zarnitsa version was the use of modern technology: unmanned aerial vehicles, unmanned ground vehicles, and laser tag and fire tag equipment. In his telegram channel, the so-called ‘head of the DPR’ Denys Pushylin said that “for six days, the participants lived in barracks, learned to provide first aid and participate in combat in a confined space”. The teams were led<\/span> by the participants in the so-called special military operation.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

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Photo: Children from TOT of Donetsk Region at the Zarnitsa: Legends of the Future game, September 2023. Source: https:\/\/archive.ph\/wip\/4Z5nT<\/a><\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n

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In the same year, the reboot<\/a> of the game, Zarnitsa 2.0, was announced, which will be adapted to the current context, with uniform <\/span>standards and rules<\/span>. The first presentation was held<\/a><\/span> in July 2023 at the Borodino War Museum and Reserve in the Moscow Region. After that, the game was tested in certain regions of the Russian Federation, as well as in the occupied Crimea. From July 18 to July 21, 2023, it was tested<\/a><\/span> at the Artek Children’s Center by the finalists of the Big Break competition, including 131 children from the TOT of Donetsk, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia Regions.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

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In November 2023, the then chairman of the board of the Movement of the First, Grigory Gurov, announced<\/a><\/span> that in 2024 Zarnitsa 2.0 would be introduced throughout Russia (including the TOT) with the unified rules. The first season of the game started<\/a> on February 23, 2024<\/span>. Today, in 2025, the second season is underway. Now the rules of the game are regulated<\/a> by the relevant Regulations<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

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The updated game, Zarnitsa 2.0, is a large-scale military competition<\/a> among children and young people aged 7 to 21 years old<\/span>, which is held in Russia and in the Ukrainian territories occupied by Russia. However, this is not merely a ‘children’s event’; through this game, they are actually taught to fight, under the guise of entertainment. As part of the project, participants learn the know-how of modern warfare, including controlling unmanned aerial vehicles, using unmanned ground vehicles, recognizing fakes and creating them, countering cyberattacks, and tips on how to escape from captivity. Quite often, the mentors are Russian military personnel who have fought (or are still fighting) against Ukraine. The game is played through<\/a> an interactive online platform<\/span>, which can attract and motivate a large number of young people to participate in Zarnitsa 2.0. At the same time, the materials of the media resource Verstka mention cases<\/span> of forced involvement<\/a> of children in the game.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

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In the near future, Russia, including the TOT, plans to introduce a new type of annual Zarnitsa \u2013 a family one. It was initiated<\/a><\/span> by the State Secretary and Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, head of the Defenders of the Fatherland Foundation Anna Tsivilova (<\/span>see the photo below<\/span><\/i>), whom some sources identify<\/a> as the first cousin once removed<\/span> of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The game will focus on the <\/span>‘transmission of traditional values’, along with Russian culture, history and lineage, ‘from older generations to younger ones’.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

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Photo: <\/b>Anna Tsivilova, at a meeting of the Pobeda organizing committee, proposes that Putin introduce a family Zarnitsa. Source: <\/span>https:\/\/tass.ru\/obschestvo\/22887703<\/span><\/a> , archive <\/span>https:\/\/archive.fo\/wip\/wrCQh<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n

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Veterans and participants in the war against Ukraine should also be the teams’ mentors.<\/span> Russian President Putin supported<\/a><\/span> this initiative and instructed<\/a><\/span> \u201cto submit proposals for the organization of the Family Zarnitsa Competition in all constituent entities of the Russian Federation\u201d.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

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Statistics on participation in Zarnitsa 2.0<\/h2>\r\n

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2024 :<\/strong><\/p>\r\n