Suddenly, the children’s faces had lit up, surprised and excited. In their pre-school in Syktyvkar, a city of 200,000 residents over 1,000 kilometers northeast of Moscow, they were in a group called “Rainbow.” On March 24, 2025, one of the fathers was invited to organize an “educational meeting.” In front of these young children, about 5 years old, he laid out an array of replica assault rifles and pistols. “The children’s eyes started to shine when the man in his fine uniform brought out the weapons. They all wanted to touch and try them!” the teachers later recounted on their page on VKontakte, one of the most popular social media platforms in Russia.

At the end of the meeting, the children showed what they had learned from the lessons. They completed an obstacle course. Then they carried out the order to lie down, face to the ground, hands behind their heads. The father explained that this was the position to take in the event of the enemy using a nuclear weapon.

In Syktyvkar, Teremok (literally “the little house”) is one of many pre-schools across Russia that have set up “junior cadet” groups since the Kremlin launched its so-called “special military operation” in Ukraine in February 2022. As in the “Rainbow” class, the children take part in “educational meetings.” They participate in marching and military singing contests, gather for cadet assemblies and balls and regularly meet with military personnel. They learn how to protect themselves in the event of gunfire and to deliver a report with military precision. They also wear the red cadet beret. The target age group is children from 4 to 7 years old.

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