logo
Russia using children to design and test its military drones, investigation finds

Russia using children to design and test its military drones, investigation finds

The Guardiana day ago
Russian authorities have systematically involved children in the design and testing of drones for the country's war in Ukraine through nationwide competitions that begin with innocent-seeming video games and end up with the most talented students headhunted by defence companies, an investigation has found.
The revelations, part of an investigation by the exiled Russian news outlet the Insider, are the latest to show just how much Russia's leaders are dragging the country's youth into the war effort in Ukraine, with 'patriotic' and militarised education often spilling over into outright participation.
'The kids are actively involved in modelling components of systems for various drones,' one of the teenagers involved told a journalist, who was posing as a correspondent for state-controlled media to persuade interviewees to speak more freely. 'I know of several people at least who were modelling UAV [unmanned aerial vehicle] components for major enterprises,' said the teenager.
Vladimir Putin has called for Russia to boost its production of drones, which have increasingly become a key part of the war for Russia and Ukraine. But the drone battle on the frontlines is constantly changing as both sides discover new technologies to enable drones to fly further and evade electronic jamming systems, and Russia is seeking the smartest tech prodigies among its youth to help with the effort.
The path starts with a video game called Berloga, launched in 2022, in which 'intelligent bears' have to defend themselves against swarms of bees, sometimes using drones to repel them, the investigation found. Succeeding in the game, which is played by hundreds of thousands of young Russians, can lead to extra credits in exams at the end of high school.
The most successful players move into more advanced competitions, such as one called Big Challenges, which looks for promising school pupils to be headhunted by Russian companies, many of which are under international sanctions for their roles in the Russian defence industry.
The Insider spoke with three teenage finalists from the competition working on drone technology, who explained how it worked and detailed how they were fully aware of the military application of certain projects but were encouraged to hide it.
'We were forbidden to say that it was needed for the war, and we invented civilian applications. It's a children's program … A project must always have a dual purpose, especially when you're a school student. It's an unwritten rule I've observed at every competition,' said one.
While small FPV [first-person view] drones are the deadliest weapon on the frontlines, Russia and Ukraine have also used long-range drones to hit targets far in the rear. Russia sends nightly barrages of kamikaze drones into Ukraine, regularly terrorising the capital, Kyiv, and other big cities.
Children are also involved in the production of these larger drones. Over the weekend, a documentary broadcast by the Russian army's television station showed teenagers helping to construct kamikaze drones at a factory described as the world's biggest maker of strike drones.
Employing children in military facilities, which could be legitimately targeted in wartime, violates numerous international conventions.
Sign up to This is Europe
The most pressing stories and debates for Europeans – from identity to economics to the environment
after newsletter promotion
The footage shown on Sunday showed hundreds of completed Geran-2 kamikaze drones in neat rows. The facility has been put on an EU sanctions list and has come under attack itself from Ukrainian long-range drones.
The Geran-2, which has a range of nearly 1,000 miles, is an adapted version of an Iranian kamikaze drone, with production now localised in Russia at a factory in Alabuga in Tatarstan. Moscow claims it only uses these drones to target military and energy infrastructure but there are regular cases of them hitting civilian and residential targets.
Russia's state-run Zvezda TV channel said the Alabuga factory had invited 14- and 15-year-old pupils to study drone manufacturing at an adjacent college and subsequently work at the factory. Young workers were shown in the footage with their faces blurred, sitting at computers or assembling drones.
Children contacted by the Insider also spoke of working inside military facilities: one explained how, aged 13, he had trained soldiers in drone operations inside a state facility in 2022.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Ukraine backlash grows after Zelensky strips anti-corruption bodies of independence
Ukraine backlash grows after Zelensky strips anti-corruption bodies of independence

BBC News

time21 minutes ago

  • BBC News

Ukraine backlash grows after Zelensky strips anti-corruption bodies of independence

Ukraine's government is facing a growing backlash after President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a law limiting the independence of two anti-corruption contentious bill grants control of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (Nabu) and Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (Sap) to the prosecutor general, who is appointed by the argued provisions needed to be taken as Nabu and Sap were letting criminal proceedings stagnate for years and insisted they had to be "cleansed from Russian influence".He signed the bill into law late on Tuesday after it received the backing of 263 MPs out of 324. Many Ukrainians outside parliament – the Rada - disagree with the decision. Critics say the law will severely undermine the Nabu and Sap's authority and effectiveness. On Tuesday night thousands gathered outside the president's office in Kyiv to rallies were also held in Odesa, Dnipro, Lviv and Sumy - despite the continued threat from nightly Russian aerial attacks. The gatherings were the first anti-government demonstrations since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in fight against corruption is seen as closely tied to Kyiv's prospects for integration within the EU – a path that started in 2014, when anti-government protests ousted pro-Russian President Viktor Yankuovych in favour of closer ties with the creation of Nabu and Sap was one of the requirements set by the European Commission and International Monetary Fund more than a decade ago in order to move towards a relaxation of visa restrictions between Ukraine and the EU. In 2022, Kyiv was granted the coveted status of EU candidate – a significant development that boosted spirits and strengthened ties between Ukraine and its European there is concern Zelensky's move may undermine Kyiv's growing proximity to the West – a cause for which many Ukrainians feel their country continues to pay the price of the Russian onslaught. "Corruption lives – the future dies," one placard at the Kyiv protest read. Graft in Ukraine is endemic and the country currently ranks 105 out of 180 in Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index. The rating may be low - but it nonetheless marks an improvement of 39 points since Nabu and Sap were created in then the two bodies have been involved in far-reaching investigations into the misappropriation of millions of dollars' worth of assets and bribes across various ministries and sectors. In 2023 a joint investigation resulted in the arrest of the head of Ukraine's Supreme Court, Vsevolod Kniaziev, in connection with a $3m (£2.4m; €2.9m) bribe. Earlier this month, it also emerged Nabu was conducting searches at the residence of former defence minister Oleksii Nabu and Sap will have to operate under presidential oversight, leading some to wonder whether high-profile figures close to the government will eschew scrutiny. By curtailing the bodies' independence the government had "destroyed everything that has been worked on for years," one protester in Kyiv told Radio Liberty. Despite a nationwide ban on mass gatherings under martial law, more protests were expected in an even greater number of cities across Ukraine on Wednesday "scandalous" law passed on Tuesday "dealt a critical blow to Ukraine's European integration process," the Ukrainska Pravda website said, while another outlet, Dzerkalo Tyzhnia, warned that Zelensky had taken a "step towards authoritarianism".Prominent war veteran Masi Nayem told his 54,000 Facebook followers that he had joined the protests in Kyiv as a "duty" to the victims of Russia's war. "I fought for the nation, for the people and the democratic system," he allies have also sounded alarm bells. The legislation "hampered Ukraine's way towards the EU," said Germany's foreign minister Johann Wadephul, and France's European affairs minister Benjamin Haddad urged Kyiv to reverse its on Wednesday, following a meeting with representatives of Nabu and Sap, Zelensky doubled down. He acknowledged the protests and promised the creation of a joint plan to fight corruption within two weeks – but also emphasised the need for unity against "Russian occupiers".In a joint statement the two agencies pushed back and said they had been deprived of the guarantees that allowed them to combat corruption effectively. They also thanked Ukrainians for their "principled position, active support and concern".Wednesday saw the beginning of the third round of talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul. But the attention of many Ukrainians was firmly on the new bill – and not just because there was little concrete hope of progress in either Moscow or Kyiv."This is government lawlessness," a Lviv resident called Liza told Radio Liberty. "We don't want to have to fight both Russia and our own government."

For a deep dive into the case that shocked the world - listen to Daily Mail's investigative podcast On The Case: The Idaho Murders
For a deep dive into the case that shocked the world - listen to Daily Mail's investigative podcast On The Case: The Idaho Murders

Daily Mail​

timean hour ago

  • Daily Mail​

For a deep dive into the case that shocked the world - listen to Daily Mail's investigative podcast On The Case: The Idaho Murders

As Bryan Kohberger is sentenced - listen to Daily Mail's hit new podcast On The Case: The Idaho Murders for a deep dive into all the questions that remain unanswered. Early in the morning of November 13, 2022, four University of Idaho students were found brutally stabbed to death in their off-campus rental home in Moscow, Idaho. The victims were Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin. Maddie and Kaylee, both asleep in Maddie's bed, were killed first. It was just after 4am but Xana was still up having ordered a food delivery; he stabbed her next before moving onto kill Ethan where he slept. There were no signs of forced entry - the lock of the door he slipped through was broken - and two other roommates inside the house survived. Weeks later, after an investigation shrouded in secrecy, authorities arrested the then 28-year-old Washington State University criminology Ph.D. student Bryan Kohberger at his family home in Pennsylvania. On July 2nd, Kohberger pled guilty to the murders, as part of a plea deal to avoid the death penalty. His sentencing has been set for Wednesday July 23rd, and he will spend the rest of his life in prison. In this episode of On The Case, Laura Collins, an editor and investigative reporter at the Daily Mail in New York, sits down with Howard Blum, author of the bestselling book on the case:When the Night Comes Falling: A Requiem for the Idaho Student Murders. They discuss the story so far, as well as the main, perplexing mystery at the heart of it all - why did Bryan Kohberger do it? For early, ad-free access to every episode of On The Case as well as all our other incredible true crime shows, subscribe to The Crime Desk now. Alternatively, search for On The Case: The Idaho Murders wherever you get your podcasts.

Tulsi Gabbard declassifies more Obama docs
Tulsi Gabbard declassifies more Obama docs

Daily Mail​

timean hour ago

  • Daily Mail​

Tulsi Gabbard declassifies more Obama docs

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has declassified another tranche of documents about the 2016 elections – a day after President Donald Trump accused Barack Obama of 'treason' and said he should be investigated. Gabbard ordered the release of a 2020 report by the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence on Russia 's attempts to influence the 2016 presidential election. Although Trump won that election, he has long railed against what he calls the Russia 'hoax' cooked up by Democrats to try and link his campaign to the foreign adversary. It was a controversy that marred his first term in the White House and has since been widely debunked. He's now calling for investigations of top Obama national security officials at the time while referring to the ex-president as the leader of a 'gang' out to get him. The report by the House Intelligence Committee, then chaired by Trump ally Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) found the nation's spies reached 'credible' assessments that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered 'conventional and cyber influence operations' by leaking hacked emails. But it also disputed an intel assessment, released in 2017, that Putin 'developed a clear preference' for Trump and 'aspired to help his chances of victory.' That conclusion has long infuriated Trump. It said these conclusions did not 'adhere to the tenets' of intelligence tradecraft. Gabbard last week released an initial report accusing Obama of overseeing a 'treasonous conspiracy' against Trump. On Tuesday night at a meeting at the White House with House Republicans, Trump called Gabbard the 'hottest' person in the room. That comes despite indications of a split over the attack Trump ordered on Iran's nuclear facilities. 'She's like, hotter than everybody. She's the hottest one in the room right now because she found out. ... I think we knew it before, in all fairness, Tulsi, but now you have certainty. She has all the documents. She has everything that you need. And she found out that Barack Hussein Obama led a group of people, and they cheated in the elections, and they cheated without question,' Trump told his allies. Gabbard, an anti-interventionist, had testified in March that the intelligence community 'continues to assess that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon' despite its big stockpiled of enriched Uranium. Gabbard appeared on the conservative Newsmax network Tuesday night, and contested a scathing statement by Obama, who had called the resurfaced allegations 'bizarre' and a 'distraction.' 'We will be releasing further documents tomorrow that will refute that statement,' Gabbard said.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store