Children undergo anti-terror drills, 29 April 2025. Photo: Agentstvo
Kindergartens, schools and colleges across Russia have been holding the first of two days of anti-terror drills, independent media outlet Agentstvo reported on Tuesday.
First Deputy Education Minister Alexander Bugaev announced plans for the two-day course to drill pupils in emergency situations on Sunday, according to state-owned news agency TASS.
The courses, being held on Tuesday and Wednesday, are being conducted with the support of the Emergency Situations Ministry, Interior Ministry and Russian National Guard, and teach children what to do in the event of various crisis situations, such as being taken hostage or falling victim to a drone attack.
Via role-play scenarios, the children are taught potentially life-saving measures such as barricading themselves into their classrooms and finding safe places to hide. One scenario features adults threatening children before being apprehended by security forces.
Agentstvo reported finding 800 cases across social media of educational establishments carrying out the course, with dramatic photographs showing adults aiming mock-up automatic weapons at children sitting in a corridor, or classrooms or face down on the floor with their hands over their heads.
This is the first time the course has been rolled out to schools across the country on such a large scale as a much sought-after ceasefire in Russia’s war against Ukraine remains elusive. Similar initiatives had previously been held at the start of the current school year in European parts of Russia, while earlier in 2024, the course was only being taught to children in the Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine.
