Evgenia Sokolenko08:19, 22.12.24

Russia is preparing for possible conflicts with Western countries.

The Russian government is expanding its program to popularize military service among young people in the Russian Federation and in the occupied territory of Ukraine for new military operations .

 As ISW analysts note , the ruler of the aggressor country, Vladimir Putin, continues to expand the network of programs for the so-called military-patriotic education of youth on the eve of the “Year of the Defender of the Fatherland” declared by the Kremlin in 2025.

As noted, Putin approved a list of four instructions for the Russian government:

• creation and development of a network of “military sports camps” to popularize military service among young people;
• expansion of the Kremlin’s “Roads to Victory” program;
• creation of an online platform for organizing programs of so-called military-patriotic education for youth;
• converting one children’s “health camp” to a year-round operation.

“The Kremlin’s “Roads of Victory” program is aimed at “educating patriotic feelings in modern children and youth” and offers free tours of Russian cultural and historical sites of “battle glory” for Russian children and youth,” experts explain.

They recalled that the Kremlin had previously used the Avangard military-sports training camps to militarize and indoctrinate Ukrainian youth with Russian cultural and historical narratives. According to ISW analysts, Moscow is expanding the network of these and similar camps across the country as part of a long-term effort to build up the armed forces.

The aggressor is also preparing to expand and raise the status of other youth so-called military-patriotic organizations, such as “Yunarmiya” and “Movement of the First”, with the aim of militarizing Russian youth. For the same purpose, the “Heroes’ Time” program is being used, within the framework of which veterans of the war in Ukraine are appointed to government positions.

“The Kremlin likely intends to use these military-political organizations to encourage and increase the prestige of military service among Russian youth and society as it continues to plan its long-term military actions in Ukraine and possible future armed conflicts with Western countries,” the Institute for the Study of War is convinced.

Russia’s war with NATO

Recently, the new Secretary General of the North Atlantic Alliance, Mark, stated that member countries are still not ready for a possible  war in a few years .

The new European Union Commissioner for Defense, Andrius Kubilius, also believes that Europe is not sufficiently prepared for a possible  attack by the Russian Federation , and therefore must urgently rearm.

Fears are growing in the West that Ukraine will lose the war with Russia and that Vladimir  Putin may decide to invade Eastern Europe in the coming years . According to The Times, according to military leaders, Great Britain should be ready for conflict in 2027.

(C)UNIAN 2024