Posted on 11/18/2024 6:12:56 AM PST by delta7
Four schoolchildren pose with a Kalashnikov rifle in class in the town of Kaluga. / Source: Agentstvo
In the past week, Russian schools hosted over 70 events to commemorate the 105th anniversary of the birth of Mikhail Kalashnikov (1919-2013), the creator of the AK-47 rifle.
Between Nov. 5 and Nov. 12, schools and school-affiliated organizations from 16 regions across Russia shared at least 74 photo reports of these events on the social network VK, according to an analysis by the independent investigative outlet Agentstvo (lit. “The Agency”). The celebrations in honor of the weapons designer included quizzes, competitions, exhibitions, film lectures, and lessons on “courage.” In at least one instance, children engaged with members of Russia’s National Guard (Rosgvardiya).
Many of the events included demonstrations of Kalashnikov rifle models, most famously the AK-47, with children being allowed to assemble and disassemble them under adult supervision.
The most extensive celebrations occurred in the Altai Krai — a Russian region bordering northern Kazakhstan — where Kalashnikov was born. Groups from the region posted at least 29 reports. The activities were carried out in collaboration with the Dvizhenye Pervykh movement (lit. “Movement of the First”) — a government-backed organization claiming to foster “patriotism” and “civic values.”
Agentstvo also counted 12 reports in school groups in the Udmurt Republic — where Kalashnikov lived and died. An additional 15 reports of commemorative events came from schools in the Kaluga Region, with quizzes serving as the primary activity.
Educational institutions across the Amur, Kemerovo, Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod, Saratov, Sverdlovsk, and Jewish Autonomous regions, along with those in Bashkortostan, Mordovia, Komi, and the Trans-Baikal, Primorsky, and Stavropol territories, shared between one and a few reports each.
State libraries also played an active role in marking Kalashnikov’s anniversary. Library staff conducted lectures in schools and hosted events at their own locations. Mock AK-47 models were displayed in some libraries in the Udmurt Republic and the Saratov Region, attracting children who eagerly posed for photos.
In previous years, Kalashnikov’s birthday was marked with notably less fanfare. Schools posted only a few reports on VK in 2022 and 2023, and there were no such reports in 2021. During the centennial celebration of Kalashnikov in 2019, Russia’s Ministry of Education advised schools to conduct a nationwide lesson about the designer.
Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the government in Moscow has increased efforts to incorporate militarization into school curricula. In September 2023, an introductory military training course, abolished after the Soviet Union’s collapse, was reintroduced in schools across the country. As of September 2024, the “Basics of Life Safety” course has been renamed “Basics of Security and Homeland Defense” and features updated topics of discussions on Russia's national security and role in the world.
The Insider has also detailed a surge in Russia of children's “military-patriotic camps,” where children hear speeches from well-known propagandists and other figures involved in the invasion of Ukraine, learn to operate drones, and weave camouflage nets for the military. Although these camps began to take shape in 2020, they have only now become widespread.
That’s what I call practical education.
For the longest time Russians have prepared for citizens to take up arms against invaders.
School rifle teams were common in the USA up until the 1970s. Then political correctness and the EPA were used to shut most of them down.
A high school I attended had a basement range for the JROTC kids. They had nice bolt action .22s with heavy stocks and peep sights for shooting the NRA 50’ junior marksman program, whatever it was called. That program was in place at least until 1980.
My high school had a range in the basement. The rifle team (part of ROTC) used it routinely
Yes, the sissyfags get The Vapors at the thought of the evil guns.
The USA is blessed. We have two massive oceans on either side, Canada to the North, and Mexico to the south. No foreign country will ever invade the USA. The only measurable threat to US security is Mexico and our Southern border, and that's because our own internal leftist party has weaponized it against our country.
Frankly, the US could reduce its Army to nothing (as it did prior to WWII) keep nuke submarines, and develop hypersonics, and we'd be just as secure, and less in debt.
Many schools here had basement ranges at one time. Mostly .22 as I recall.
We have been invaded over the last 20 years or more.
Lee Emory had a funny episode that compared the AK-47 to the M16. While Lee was clearly prejudiced for the M16, he had to admit that the AK-47 was the better weapon in many categories particularly its low maintenance requirements and durability.
Frankly, the US could reduce its Army to nothing (as it did prior to WWII) keep nuke submarines, and develop hypersonics, and we'd be just as secure, and less in debt.
The oceans are not nearly the protection they used to be. Both Canada and Mexico have become much less friendly under the Obama/Biden administrations.
If it ends up being The USA against the rest of the World, it is not so clear we win.
Instead of hypersonics, we should be developing Rods from God, now that Elon Musk has made them practical and affordable.
Ours are given pictures of far-left billionaire, Tater Swuft making a heart with her fingers.
So long ago, I was assigned an M-1 carbine in high school ROTC. In that same time, I had a 22 LR, courtesy of my older brother. Only this year and decades later, my cousin’s 11 year old just shot his first deer. Guns. And no one I’ve known EVER shot a person, excepting when wearing olive drab and under the war as pursued by LBJ. Hmm.
A few years ago, Texas A&M locked down campus because someone reported a shooter. Turns out it was someone in the band or something with a white wooden prop.
I remember that one. He was a funny guy . . in civilian life. Probably a hard core DI though. . . not that there’s anything wrong in that.
Yeah, the emphasis when designing the ArmaLite was apparently "light weight" (using modern aircraft industry materials and processes), while the Soviets seem to have emphasized low-cost, reliability, and ease of manufacture & maintenance. I've read that modern military ARs can tip the scales at 8-10 pounds, with all of the 'stuff' that gets attached to the rails, so the "light weight" aspect isn't seen (or appreciated) much anymore...
More signs of intensifying Russian desperation.
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