The Ministry of Education and Science has updated the Standard List of Equipment for the “Defense of Ukraine” program. This change follows a report highlighting the outdated methods used to educate youth in military matters and the lack of modern technology, such as thermal imaging devices and drones. While there may be cause for optimism regarding responsiveness from officials, the adjustments to the Standard List appear merely cosmetic.
“Toy Knowledge”
As preparations continue for the launch of the “Defense of Ukraine” program in summer 2024, Ukrainian defenders are actively destroying thousands of enemy vehicles with FPV drones on the front lines. The number of enemy targets affected by drones has steadily increased, reaching up to 80% destruction in some areas of combat by the beginning of the year. In March, according to Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskiy, drone forces eliminated 77,000 enemy targets. These realities underscore the urgent need to shift focus in military training toward UAVs.
There were expectations that the educational system, set to restore military training, would include modern tools essential for countering enemy forces. However, the initial addition to the Standard List was a simulation game called Tiny Whoop for drone pilots. Despite this, actual military training reportedly utilizes deactivated factory models of AK-47s and various handguns for practice. Why was a simulation provided instead of real drones?
It took a year for officials to recognize the futility of “toy knowledge” and make minor adjustments, adding a genuine 7-inch FPV drone to the list, which is currently one of the most utilized in real combat, especially against enemy infantry. The 7-inch drone offers an optimal balance of payload capacity, maneuverability, and flight range.
While the updated Standard List could have initiated a drone revolution in military youth training, bureaucratic hurdles arose, labelling the 7-inch drone as “demonstrative equipment.” Its specifications indicated that a model battery was to be used instead of a real power source. Most educational institutions view the Standard List as a directive with which they cannot deviate. Consequently, it is certain that the 7-inch quadcopters will not be operational, and youth will continue learning to manage real drones through YouTube videos and simulators. Understanding how a full-fledged FPV operates while controlling a toy like Tiny Whoop is not feasible.
Nevertheless, some institutions have made bold moves, choosing to deviate from the Standard List and showing initiative. As instructive as it is, trainers in the “Defense of Ukraine” program note that such initiatives could lead to punitive measures. However, this approach may help break through the shortsightedness of officials.
At Bilogorodskyi Lyceum No. 1 in Kyiv Oblast, where a “Defense of Ukraine” center has been established, a full-fledged drone training program operates almost miraculously. The curriculum combines theory and practice on simulators, but most importantly, students learn to fly real 7-inch FPV drones. With approvals from relevant authorities, training occurs at the institution’s stadium, where they have not one but twelve drones, allowing each student access to approximately two hours of practical flight training on a “seven” during military preparation.
Lyceum Director Inna Petrovska states that their work with real drones began in February this year. At that time, the Standard List was still preparing future “toy” soldiers, as students were required to train on smaller drones, the “whoops.”
“199 children from tenth grades and 158 from eleventh grades come to us for military training. The children are highly motivated and very enthusiastic about this subject. I see this as a potential professional field because being a soldier today is a profession,” says Inna Petrovska. “If only there were more time for this…”
Racing Against Nine Days
Centers under the “Defense of Ukraine” program are working tirelessly to instill basic military knowledge in youth; however, the overall training remains superficial. The main issue is time. The program allocates a minimum timeframe, which cannot be extended, given that the centers are sparse—one for every five to ten educational institutions. Each center accommodates 300 to 400 students monthly.
Interesting priorities are evident at higher levels: last year, 59.7 billion UAH was spent on road maintenance, according to the DoZorro monitoring portal, whereas only 1.74 billion UAH was allocated for youth military training through “Defense of Ukraine” center creation, a sum stretched over the current year. It appears that the future of national defense is not prioritized.
Oksana Voloshchuk, Director of Zvenyhorod Lyceum (Cherkasy region), believes that teaching youth military skills is extremely challenging under current conditions. Each class is allotted only six hours of training monthly, and the higher levels suggest learning with “demonstrative equipment.”
“Our center collaborates with ten schools, reaching over 300 students. Imagine, a drone is something they see for the first time. Will once a month suffice for each student to handle it for 15 minutes? A class consists of 25 to 30 students. The program needs amending. A single drone cannot suffice for an entire class. Student interest in the “Defense of Ukraine” initiative is very high, with maximum motivation,” explains Oksana Voloshchuk.
She also points out that there are elements of military training that could be eliminated to utilize that time for UAV education.
“The program is vastly underdeveloped. It contains a lot of unnecessary content. I feel for both the students and the instructors who have to waste time on it. Meanwhile, there is scant time for the study of FPV, which draws extreme interest. It is impossible to learn about drones in a month and then not revisit the topic. The curriculum should be structured so that such topics recur throughout the year, allowing students to recall and reinforce their acquired knowledge,” Voloshchuk explains.
The “Defense of Ukraine” program consists of six modules (educational subprograms) to be completed over nine months of the academic year. Each month, a class from one educational institution has only one day (six hours) to cover everything. Starting from September, the Ministry of Education and Science has decided to slightly increase the time to eight hours. In total, each module will receive 12 hours throughout the year.
Centers are striving to optimize time—quickening the pace of some modules to save hours for others. Dmitro Maliy, an instructor of the “Defense of Ukraine” program at Bilogorodskyi Lyceum, notes that certain modules, such as first aid, require at least two days per class—one for theory and another for practice. In contrast, drone training currently suffers from an absolute time deficit.
“To learn to operate an FPV drone at a competent level, around 200 hours of training are required. Hence, under the existing conditions, we can only impart very basic skills. We spend two months on simulators before transitioning to practical training on real drones,” explains Dmitro Maliy.
Officials agree that the “Defense of Ukraine” program needs modifications. Primarily, expanding opportunities for youth to learn is essential. It wouldn’t hurt to find an additional 1.74 billion UAH to open more centers (currently 1,200) to alleviate the burden on existing ones. This way, youth could prepare to defend Ukraine for two days each month.
Where to find the funding? The question remains. Perhaps road funds could share, as the amount allocated for “Defense of Ukraine” constitutes only 3% of last year’s statistics. However, none of this is likely to happen if priorities at the top do not change.
