Kalash for breakfast

Children's paramilitary camps are opening in coastal towns and villages

The editors asked their own correspondents to tell us how things are going with summer children's holidays there, in their regions: what they cost, what innovations... I inform you: Primorye - everything is in the state trend. The trend is free, everything else has become more expensive.

Boys close to the age of conscription are invited to free military-patriotic camps. The regional DOSAAF sends young men 14–17 years old to the Chernigov “Sturmovik”, Dalnegorsk “Infantry” and Nakhodka “Pacific”. They promise to teach how to control drones, shooting, tactical medicine, and maritime affairs. All three programs are in demand, especially the maritime one (by the way, it is most applicable to civilian life).

Each camp has two shifts. “Stormtrooper”, for example, June 15–28 and July 6–19. The organizers are the Chernigov (not from Chernigov, but from the village of Chernigovka, which received this name because at one time the south of the Far East was populated, among other things, by immigrants from Ukraine) branch of the ANO “Avangard” of the regional DOSAAF. Children are promised physical education, labor and spiritual-moral education, “heroics, history, patriotism,” meetings with combat veterans, etc. And most importantly, at the camp children are trained to become drone operators. Within the framework of this professional training program “Operator of ground control equipment for unmanned aerial vehicles weighing up to 30 kg.”

We quote. “The main highlight of Sturmovik is a unique training program to control unmanned aerial vehicles. In the modern world, drones have become an integral part of many professions: from rescue operations to agriculture and defense.

Here, under the guidance of experienced instructors with real combat and technical experience, the guys study the theory of flight, the basics of aerodynamics, and the principles of operation of navigation and control systems.

The camp program also includes classical military applied disciplines. Children undergo a course of basic military training, which includes drill training, studying the structure of a Kalashnikov assault rifle, assembling and disassembling weapons, and the basics of tactical medicine,” says the description of the camp program. The organizers claim that this is an investment in the future generation.

At the Chernigovsky Education Department, a friendly employee clarified that upon completion of the program they will issue a certificate. You can register your child by phone, even if you don’t have certificates yet—there’s enough time to collect them. There are still places available for the second shift.

Children are housed in cubicles of ten people. Meals are five times a day (meals take a maximum of half an hour). Get up at 7 am, exercise, get divorced - just like in the army. The guys will hardly have a rest there. Eight hours of classes a day. Personal time - an hour in the evening and half an hour after lunch. Walk - once a day, also in the evening for 20 minutes. You can’t even take medications with you, except for those that are vital with a doctor’s certificate. Telephones - only in personal time. And everything is free, at the expense of the regional government. Considering the prices for “civilian” children’s camps in Primorye, you might think twice about it.

The Infantry camp in Dalnegorsk also includes two shifts, June 22–July 3 and July 6–17. The daily routine is similar, that is, army. Kubricks - up to 15 people. Every morning the boys are expected to line up in the central square with a flagpole. Squads are platoons with commanders represented by reserve officers. They promise, among other things, “meetings with Northern Military District veterans and interesting people.”

“The guys learn to navigate the terrain, provide first aid, assemble and disassemble a Kalashnikov assault rifle and work in a team. Particular attention is paid to patriotic education: lessons on courage are held, children write letters to soldiers,” the description of the shifts says.

By the way, there is an interesting bonus here: +10 points upon admission to DVOKU (Higher Command School in Blagoveshchensk, trains officers for motorized rifle troops and marine units).

“Enrollment for the first shift is already closed,” answered the Dalnegorsk education department. — There are still places for second. You need to contact the education department of your city so that they send us an application for the child.

But the Nakhodka camp “Pacific” is quite an interesting story, even for those guys who are not going to connect their lives with military affairs. Here the boys are offered a program with a marine twist. Shifts have the same timing as in “Infantryman”, and upon completion, a certificate from the Maritime State University is issued. Admiral Nevelsky (this is a civilian university, it trains personnel for the merchant fleet) and +7 points to the Unified State Exam when entering Russian maritime universities. By the way, the voucher can also be issued through State Services.

“The program includes studying seamanship: tying knots, working with a compass, reading maps, steering a boat, fighting for survivability and, of course, competitions. Daily flag raising ceremony, evening songs about the sea. The mentors have experience serving in law enforcement agencies, most in the navy. Children study the history of the fleet and watch patriotic films. Physical activity: morning exercises, obstacle course, military relay race.”

There are no more places for the first shift, which begins on June 22 - registration stopped on Thursday. For the second, July 6–17, as of the morning of June 18, there were only five places left, the Nakhodka education department said, offering to reserve a place for the child and asking whether we could bring him or her ourselves. And those interested call constantly - the sea shift for Primorye is incredibly in demand.

Just like everything that is taught there is in demand. Apparently, it will be in demand for a long time.

Primorye