Russia's child soldier pipeline: from video games to battlefield drones

Global Watch | 2025-09-16

Russia, in a bid to groom children to support its war in Ukraine, is using video games to exploit the talents of the country's brightest youth for military purposes, a report found.

In a program that is purportedly aimed at encouraging children to participate in in video games and STEM competitions is, in reality, a state-sponsored funnel designed to lure them into eventually learning how to build and operate military drones, according to Insider.RU.

The investigation by the news outlet sheds light on how a generation of children is being drawn into the machinery of war, blurring the lines between education, innovation and violence.

From video games to the battlefield

At the heart of this system is the government-sponsored video game Berloga (Bear's Den), the report said. In the game, players engage in drone piloting missions, earning points that can be redeemed for university entrance bonuses. While the game appears harmless, it serves as a recruitment tool, identifying top performers and inviting them to participate in real-world engineering events, Insider reported.

These events, such as "Big Challenges," "Archipelago" and "SKAT" are hackathon-style competitions where teens are tasked with solving problems for major Russian defense companies like Rosatom, Sukhoi and Yakovlev, according to the report. While the tasks are presented as civilian in nature, many have direct military applications such as drone-detection systems, laser chargers and bomb-release mechanisms, it added. Participants are explicitly instructed to hide the military intent of their projects, even though the true purpose is widely understood.

A violation of international law

Under international law, the use of minors in active military roles is strictly prohibited. Yet, Russia's state-sponsored pipeline is training children as young as 13 to build and operate drones, many of which are later used in attacks on Ukrainian cities. In just one recent day, Russian drones killed 32 civilians and injured over 300 -- a grim reminder of the human cost of this covert program.

The scale of the operation is staggering. Last year alone, hundreds of thousands of children participated in militarized events like "Zarnista 2.0," a nationwide program that includes shooting, marching and war reporting. The best participants are funneled into specialist military events, further embedding them in the war effort.

The program's organizers, including figures like Aleksey Fedoseev who runs Berloga, openly admit to working with militarized organizations while maintaining a façade of civilian intent. This dual-use strategy where technology is developed for both civilian and military purposes allows the Russian government to exploit its youth while hiding the true nature of their work.

A generation at risk

Russia's covert child soldier pipeline is a chilling example of how a government can exploit its youth for military gain. From video games to battlefield drones, this system is designed to harness the intellect of Russia's brightest children, pulling them into the machinery of war under the guise of education and opportunity.

This system is not just a violation of international law; it is a moral tragedy. By normalizing the dual use of technology, Russia is teaching its youth that building machines capable of delivering bombs is a legitimate school project. A generation of children are being groomed to see war as a natural extension of their talents, their creativity weaponized for violence.

Global implications

The revelations about Russia's covert child soldier pipeline raise urgent questions for the international community. How can such programs be exposed and dismantled? What protections can be put in place to prevent the exploitation of minors in warfare?

The world must take notice. This is not just a story about Russia's war in Ukraine; it is a story about the moral cost of war and the lengths to which a government will go to sustain it. For the children caught in this system, the stakes could not be higher.