Russian universities are enticing students with free tuition and up to $70,000 to serve as drone pilots in the military, all while downplaying frontline combat risks. Despite such sweeteners, one student battlefield death has already occurred among new recruits at Bauman Moscow State Technical University, according to Bloomberg.
Other perks include tax holidays and free land, with at least 270 Russian academic institutions promoting military contracts since the war began in February 2022. The effort targets about 2 million male students, many of whom are gamers or possess technical skills that make them suitable for drone training.
However, Russia’s Defense Ministry has specifically called for recruits with expertise in flying drones and electronics, along with computer skills. Despite these incentives, enthusiasm among students remains low, as evidenced by Andrey, a student who told NBC News: “No one wants to join. No one is interested.”
This strategy risks further depleting Russia’s educated workforce and exacerbating the country's brain drain, where 24 percent of top software developers may have left within the first year of the war.
