Russia turns drone flying into a sport for kids and young people in occupied Luhansk Oblast. Its Putin-backed championship takes children from age 7
ISW says drone programming training aims to normalize military service as a career path for Ukrainian youth and prepare them for army service.
Russia is integrating drone operation into its youth policy within the Ukrainian regions it occupies, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). In Luhansk Oblast, youth centers are being built to teach drone piloting to children as young as seven, with the program backed by the Kremlin and the Russian Ministry of Defense.
In October 2025, the regional stage of the "Pilots of the Future" drone piloting championship took place in the Luhansk People's Republic (LNR), with children and teenagers aged 7 to 18 participating. The competitions are part of a school curriculum, and Russia recently published a textbook on unmanned aerial systems for students in grades 8-9, covering drone operation, programming, and use.
The government's push to train young people in drone technology aims to make military service involving unmanned aerial vehicles an attractive career path and prepare Ukrainian youth for potential future service in the army.
Written by urgent.news from Euromaidan Press's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
