Unmanned aerial vehicles have played a vital - and devastating - role in the Ukraine war.
ADVERTISEMENTRussian school children will be taught how to operate combat drones starting in September.
Senator Artem Sheikin announced the lessons which will see students learn the operation of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) as a part of the "Basics of Life Safety" syllabus.
Year 10 and 11 students will also be trained to operate assault rifles and hand grenades as a part of the programme.
Russia's defence ministry has already approved the plans and they are set to be implemented from the first day of September, the RIA News Agency said.
Deputy Minister of Defence Ruslan Tsalikov said the programme will include basic operating information and methods to counter enemy weapons, including UAVs.
Drones have been used to identify - and attack - enemy positions in the Ukraine war.
Both parties have resorted to air strikes on military and civilian targets as the bloody battle rages on the front, with Russia striking residential areas with drones.
The list of drones being used in battle is extensive. It now includes the Turkish Bayraktar TB2, the American Switchblade 300 and 600, and the Iranian Shahed 136 - to name just a few.
Citing defence intelligence, the UK's Ministry of Defence called the programme an effort to impose "militarised patriotism".
"Russia’s renewed emphasis on military induction for children is largely an effort to cultivate a culture of militarised patriotism rather than develop genuine capability," it said in a statement.