A 23-year-old student in his final year at a technical college in Siberia is among the first known Russian students to have died in Ukraine after enrolling in the military’s new drone units. His family reports that after just three months of training as a drone operator, he was sent into a direct assault.
“He studied drones for three months and then was thrown straight into an attack, like being fed into a meat grinder,” his adoptive mother told the media outlet.
According to her, the young man had never served in the military before signing a contract with the Russian army. In early April, he informed his family that he would be deployed to an area without phone service, attempting to reassure them that everything would be fine. A week later, relatives learned that he had been killed in a bombing near Luhansk, a region under Russian control.
## The Russian Army’s Recruitment Offer
An investigation reveals that since the beginning of the year, Russian authorities have been conducting a widespread recruitment campaign in universities, technical colleges, and vocational schools. This initiative targets students with poor academic performance or those considering dropping out of their studies.
Young people are offered contracts to join new unmanned systems units, specializing in drone operations. Promotional materials promise high incomes, training in modern technologies, and the opportunity to return to their studies after a year of service. In Moscow, recruitment flyers boast potential earnings of at least five million rubles (around $57,000) in the first year.
## Promises vs. Reality
However, the frontline reality often starkly contrasts with these promises. Lawyers and activists warn that the promise of a contract limited to one year is misleading. Following the partial mobilization decree issued in Russia in 2022, military contracts are automatically extended until the mobilization ends.
BBC Russia has identified recruitment efforts in at least 95 universities and colleges. Additionally, nearly 270 educational institutions have promoted contracts for the drone units.
In some instances, students have been pressured to enlist, with some universities reportedly given recruitment targets.
## Russia’s Heavy Losses: Over 400,000 Fatalities
Despite being pitched as a safer alternative to infantry, drone units have become significant targets on the battlefield. The cited source’s analysis shows that at least 920 Russian drone operators have been killed since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began.
Based on public information, the identities of 230,407 Russian soldiers killed in the conflict have been confirmed. However, experts estimate that the actual death toll could exceed 400,000, as many fatalities are not publicly disclosed.
Împotriva articolelor redacției noastre, persoanele nemulțumite pot formula Contestație în termen de 10 zile de la publicarea articolului, la judecătoria Orășenească nr. 1 München Bayern Deutschland, in conformitate cu Legea federală Germană. Considerăm că nu se pot formula acțiuni la instanțele din România deoarece nici o persoană care activează în trustul nostru nu poate fi extrasă de sub jurisdicția federală germană. Considerăm că redacția noastră nu răspunde în fața autorităților din România ci doar celor federale sau civile germane. deoarece legea română nu are efecte de extraneitate asupra redacției chiar dacă subiectul știrilor face obiectul unor evenimente sau persoane din România și sunt scrise în limba română. Limba română nu este izvor de extraneitate a legii.
