At the Museum of the Battle of Stalingrad in Volgograd, Russia, dozens of children and young people stand in a circle to take the oath of loyalty to the Youth Army (Junarmiya). The Hall of Triumph is made entirely of white marble and decorated with symbols of the Red Army. “Do you swear eternal loyalty to the motherland?” a group leader asks the children in their beige trousers and red caps. “I swear,” they reply in unison.
Patriotic education has been on the rise in Russia for years, but it has become even more important since the Kremlin sent troops to Ukraine nearly a year ago. According to the Youth Army’s website, more than 1.2 million children and youth between the ages of eight and 18 have joined the movement since it was founded by Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu in 2016.
The Youth Army puts an emphasis on remembering the victory of the Soviet Army over the Wehrmacht. In Volgograd – formerly Stalingrad – the commemoration of the 200-day battle between the Red Army and German soldiers has become a central element of Russian patriotism. February 2nd marks the 80th anniversary of the Soviet victory in Stalingrad.
Some parents watch as their children swear allegiance in front of politicians, war veterans and local youth army leaders. 31-year-old Darya Chertkova says her 12-year-old son Stanislav made the “conscious decision” to join the movement all by himself. “We supported that,” she tells AFP.
The family has always been patriotic and interested in the past, she explains. But now Moscow’s offensive in Ukraine and its consequences have motivated her to go one step further.
“Stanislav knows about the special military operation,” says Chertkova, using the official Russian name for the offensive in the neighboring country. “His decision was partly influenced by what’s happening in the world.”
Chertkova hopes that her six-year-old son will also join the movement. “I think the most important thing for a boy is to love our country, to defend his motherland, to be a patriot.”
Teacher Yulia Chernishova, who accompanied her students to the ceremony, says movements like the youth army are “very important in our times.” She also took her students to visit soldiers who were injured in Ukraine. The children put on a comedy show for the soldiers. “We also sent New Year’s postcards (to soldiers at the front),” says the 42-year-old.
Parents surveyed by AFP aren’t sure how much to tell their kids. “He knows that Russia is in a conflict with Ukraine,” says Lilya, a pensioner who declined to give her last name. She attends the ceremony with her ten-year-old grandson, Artyom. Artyom is one of the youngest to take the oath.
The youth army is also often described as Russia’s new version of the Soviet pioneer and Komsomol movement for the 21st century – albeit with different uniforms and a chic presence on the online networks.
Lilya, who used to work in Volgograd’s puppet theater, says she “went through everything” in her Soviet youth. “I was a pioneer, Komsomolzin and Little Octobrist,” says the grandmother, who wears a fur coat and purple glasses. When asked what makes the youth army different, she replies: “I think it focuses even more on spreading patriotism.”
