A Soviet era practice has been revived in Russia as young people from 10 to 18 are being recruited into a patriotic military movement called the "Yunarmiya" or youth army.
The first 104 recruits to the program began their training in the city of Yaroslavl near Moscow last week, and the program is planned to be expanded nationwide in September. The program intends to include members between the ages of 14 and 18, however, children starting from the age of ten can also be included.
A source from the initiative speaking to the British newspaper Daily Mail said the youngsters joining the training program will be given basic military training including marching, shooting and disassembling and assembling weapons in addition to sports, first aid, tactics and Russian military history.
However, critics of the program have voiced concerns over the increasing authoritarian rule of Russian President Vladimir Putin along with the country's military interventions in Ukraine and Syria, comparing the organization to the Hitler Youth in Nazi Germany.
There also reports of school officials forcing students to join the program, even though officials stress that attendance is not compulsory.
