Ads for service in Russia’s drone forces appear in Volgograd schools

Advertisements for contract service in Russia’s Unmanned Systems Forces, a relatively new military branch dedicated to drone warfare, have appeared on the social media pages of two schools in the southern Volgograd region, independent media outlet Groza reported on Friday. 

The posts, published on February 13, proclaim that “The Homeland needs you!” and promise a one-time payout of 2.1 million rubles (€22,700). 

According to an internal Russian Defence Ministry document made public in March, the UAV forces are expected to recruit 78,800 people in 2026.

Russian Science and Higher Education Minister Valery Falkov informed the rectors of the country’s largest universities earlier this year that at least 2% of their total student body must enlist to serve in Ukraine, independent news outlet Faridaily reported last week, citing a source close to the head of a Moscow university.

It was also reported in February that the Defence Ministry was actively attempting to recruit students at over 70 universities and technical colleges across Russia to serve in the war in Ukraine.

Students are generally told that they can join the Unmanned Systems Forces as drone operators, remaining far from the front lines while gaining valuable tech industry experience. Recruitment pamphlets also assure students they can combine active military service with their studies, referring to students sent to the front as being on “academic leave”, with discharge guaranteed after one year.

Despite these assurances, Artyom Klyga, a lawyer for the Russian Conscientious Objectors Movement, found that students recruited from Moscow’s Higher School of Economics who were promised discharge after completing a year of service had in fact signed regular military contracts that cannot be terminated.

When confronted by journalists about the reports, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he wasn’t aware of any orders to recruit students into the UAV forces.