An investigation has found that Russia is allegedly recruiting young children to help design and test its military drones via nationwide competitions that hide behind the guise of innocent video games.
The discovery is part of an investigation conducted by the exiled Russian news outlet The Insider that shows how much the country's leaders are willing to involve their youth in the war effort against Ukraine.
Russia Recruits Children To Design and Test Military Drones
One of the teenagers who was involved in the efforts said that children were actively engaged in modelling components of systems used in various drones. The minor added that they knew of many other people who were working to model components of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for major enterprises.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has called for the European country to increase its production of drones. These technological marvels have become increasingly more important in the nation's war against Ukraine.
However, the drone battle on the frontlines is ever-changing as both sides continue to discover new technologies to let drones fly further and avoid electronic jamming systems. Now, Moscow is looking to hire the smartest tech prodigies among its youth to help with its war effort, according to The Guardian.
The disguised recruitment begins with a video game known as Berloga that was launched in 2022. It is where "intelligence bears" are tasked with defending themselves against swarms of bees, making use of drones to repel them at times.
The investigation found that when young kids are successful in the game, which hundreds of thousands of Russian youths play, they can get extra credits in exams at the end of high school. Furthermore, the most successful players then move into more advanced competitions, where the best are headhunted by Russian companies.
Building Drones for the War
Other teenagers who were involved in the process told The Insider that they were fully aware that they were doing drone-related work that could be used for war. However, they were forbidden from saying so and were told to invent civilian applications for their work, India Today reported.
Some of the children involved reportedly helped build real-life drones, including deadly kamikaze models that were used on the frontlines of the war. One example is the Geran-2 kamikaze drones that were being assembled in a massive drone-making facility filled with teenagers.
These were then used to conduct near-daily attacks on Ukrainian cities, including the capital, Kyiv. The three finalists in the competition were interviewed, where they explained how the system works, as per the Gazeta Express.
