This is Vladimir Putin's Young Army, where children are groomed Soviet-style in military skills and patriotism.
Unveiled
last year, the Yunarmia has already recruited more than 42,000 school
students. It is a 'military and patriotic' organisation that has been
criticised as an echo of Hitler Youth.
TV
pictures showed star recruits from Moscow being presented to the
General Staff of the Armed Forces of Russian Federation at a time of
rising tension with the West.
Schoolchildren as young as ten are taught
military drills, how to handle Kalashnikovs, practice wrestling and
learn to make parachute jumps.
The project was rolled out in Yaroslavl last May with 2,014 cadets, and began nationwide in September.
The
oath of male and female 'yun-armists' (young soldiers) reads: 'I swear
to aim for victories in studies and sports, to live a healthy lifestyle,
to make myself prepared for the service and labour for the sake of the
Motherland, to cherish the memory of the heroes who fought for freedom
and independence of our Motherland, to be a patriot and a dignified
citizen of Russia.'
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