Occupiers force Ukrainian children to make drones.

In the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine, Russian invaders have implemented training programs for working with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for over 10,000 Ukrainian teenagers in secondary schools. Children as young as 8 years old participate in these programs. This was reported by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) based on data from the portal 'Glavcom'. It is noted that the Russian authorities are actively involving children of various ages, turning the learning process into a game. Analysts report that as part of this program, the Kremlin conducts various drone competitions in which teenagers and younger children participate throughout the occupied territory of Ukraine.

One of these 'contests' took place in the city of Skadovsk, which is under the occupation of the Kherson region, in May 2024. These competitions involved Ukrainian children aged 8 to 14 years old.

In Mariupol, which is also under Russian occupation, a special engineering class was organized in one of the local schools. Students receive training in the design and production of drones intended for use in the Russian army. According to ISW, the Kremlin is trying to achieve several goals through these actions: - militarize Ukrainian children; - prepare Ukrainian children for possible service in the Russian army; - support Russia's domestic defense-industrial base. It is worth noting that the full-scale war has been ongoing for 1,147 days. Over the past day, the enemy carried out 86 airstrikes on the positions of our troops and settlements, dropping 117 guided aerial bombs. In addition, 1,114 kamikaze drones were involved and nearly five thousand shellings were carried out.