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From video games to war, how Russia is aiming to recruit students for its drone forces
2026-06-01 23:55:34 / BOTA
This is not a war-themed video game. It's a recruitment video designed to convince students to join the Russian drone force.
“They told you you were wasting your time playing video games,” the clip says. “But there is one place where your experience is especially valuable.”
These videos, which began appearing on university websites and social media at the beginning of the year, advertise military contracts in the new Russian Unmanned Systems Forces.
The screen shows a video game player on the left and a drone operator on the right. A university had accompanied the video with the caption: “Choose the right view.”
But behind this attractive marketing campaign lies a darker side. Few students are willing to speak out publicly, but some of those we contacted have indicated anonymously that the pressure on them is growing.
“Everything changed this year,” one student wrote. “Now all the top university leaders are calling on students to go to war.”
Students at risk of failing classes are often targeted by these efforts – something that is inconsistent with the claim of creating an elite brigade.
In a video sent to CNN by a student, a woman tells the students: "If I were you, I would consider joining the drone force. It will be as if the credits you are missing never existed."
Another student recounted that, in a single day in February, his university expelled almost a third of the group and forced them to sign contracts on the spot to maintain their student status.
Through videos, posters and personal meetings – sometimes even with soldiers serving in Ukraine – students are promised a lighter war experience: a one-year contract, the opportunity to serve away from the front lines, big pay and advanced technological skills.
One student says: "It's all a scam. It's just an ordinary contract with the Russian army, with no fixed term and no special conditions."
This is the detail hidden in the fine print. A 2022 Russian decree on mobilization, which has never been repealed, stipulates that any military contract remains in effect until the decree is revoked. There are no exceptions and no guarantees.
Experts and anti-war activists say there is no certainty that recruits will end up in drone units.
Expert Grigory Sverdlin says: “As soon as a person signs the contract, he becomes practically completely dependent on the Ministry of Defense and can be sent to any unit it deems necessary.”
It's not yet clear how many students have been recruited so far. The Russian Defense Ministry did not respond to CNN's request for comment. However, the students we spoke to do not seem convinced.
“I don’t find this nonsense at all convincing,” one of them wrote. “I am deeply opposed to military propaganda among my university friends.”
"No one is thinking of signing a contract, not even those in dire financial straits," wrote another.
Russian losses in Ukraine have increased in recent months, and the system of luring soldiers with high salaries and bonuses is facing increasing difficulties.
Kateryna Stepanenko says: “There are many estimates that show that recruitment is becoming increasingly costly for the Kremlin, so pressure and coercion are becoming more visible.”
"The main battle for peace takes place within you," one of the recruitment videos says.
Meanwhile, Russia's internal battle to secure more military personnel is intensifying.
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