No preliminary
comment.
The following text is my translation of the Russian-language version of the entry "Юнармия" (Young Army) in Wikipedia.
For footnotes, literature list, external links and pictures, please go to the original entry on Wikipedia.
I encourage you to read from A to Z.
YOUNG ARMY
is an all-Russian military-patriotic public movement for children and youth (ВВПОД), created in January
and registered on July 29, 2016. The co-founders of the movement are: the
Volunteer Society for Aid to the Army, Aviation and Navy of Russia (ДОСААФ России) - Public Veterans Organization of the Russian
Armed Forces, CSKA (represented by Svetlana Khorkina), as well as Valentina Tereshkova and Valery Wostrotin.
From December 19, 2020, Nikita Vladimirovich Nagorny is the Chief of the
General Staff of Young Army. The headquarters is located in the Chamber of
Officers of the Moscow Military District.
MOVEMENT OBJECTIVES
1) participation in the implementation of the state youth policy of the Russian
Federation;
2) comprehensive development and improvement of the personality of children and
adolescents, meeting their individual needs in the field of intellectual, moral
and physical improvement;
3) increasing the authority and prestige of military service in the society;
4) preserving and consolidating patriotic traditions;
5) shaping among young people readiness and practical ability to fulfill the
civic and constitutional obligation to protect the Fatherland.
Mechanism of achieving goals: educating young people with high civic and social
activity, patriotism, attachment to the idea of internationalism, counteracting
the ideology of extremism; research on the history of the country and the
military-historical heritage of the motherland, development of local history,
expanding knowledge about the history and outstanding people of the
"small" motherland; development in the youth environment of
responsibility, the principles of collectivism, a system of moral attitudes of each
individual based on a system of values inherent in Russian society; shaping a
positive motivation for military service among young people and preparing young
men for service in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation; strengthening
physical hardness and physical endurance.
The participants of the Movement may be
children between 8 and
18 years of age , and legal entities
- public associations that have expressed support for the Movement's goals and
(or) its specific activities, recognizing the Movement Charter and implementing
program documents, acts of traffic authorities participating in Movement
activities. It is assumed that the members of the movement in their spare time
will engage in voluntary activities, participate in cultural and sports events,
gain additional education and first aid skills. Regional headquarters are open
in all 85 parts of the Russian Federation, as well as in some other countries.
RISING
The Young Army movement was founded in 1990 on the basis of the youth voluntary
social organization " Young
Patriots Movement " (ДЮП), which was created from a combination of
military sports games "Żarnica", "Orzeł", "Gajdarowiec",
posts in the Eternal Flame of Glory, military,armed forces patriotic clubs and
other. The motto of the organization was: "For the glory of the
Fatherland!".
in January 2016, on the initiative of the Minister of Defense of the Russian
Federation, Sergei Shoygu, the All-Russian military-patriotic public
movement for children and youth "Young Army" (ВВПОД) was created. On
May 28, 2016, the law was approved and on July 29, the Movement obtained state
registration. The organization received its flag, coat of arms and was
registered as a legal entity. The organization officially started its
activities on September 1, 2016.
The movement was created to improve the state policy in the field of education
of the young generation. The movement is called to unite all organizations and
bodies involved in training citizens for pre-conscription. It was assumed that
the structure of the movement would be related to the location of military
units, military educational institutions, and the infrastructure of the Volunteer Society for the Assistance
of the Air and Navy and the Central Military Sports Club. The movement is overseen by
the Secretary of State in The Russian Ministry of Defense -
Russia's Deputy Minister of Defense, Nikolai Panankov. Since 2018, these works have been led by the
Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation - the Head of the Main
Military and Political Directorate of General Col. Andrei Valerieevich Kartapolov.
The infrastructure of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, CSKA
and ДОСААФ is used to organize events under the auspices of the movement. By
2020, it was planned to establish over 100 centers of military-patriotic
education in Russia, some of them would become specialized, where they will
train subunits of young paratroopers, pilots and tank crews.
Large-scale events take place in the military-patriotic culture and recreation
park of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation "Patriot", where the "Young Army" zone has been designated.
At the same place, during the first rally of the Movement, in June 2016,
Russia's Defense Minister, Army General Sergei Shoygu, handed the organization its
first flag.
The organization registered the Young Army newspaper and Yunarmeyets
magazine.
A characteristic sign of a Young Army member is a bright red beret. The
official hymn of the Movement is the song "Serve Russia" (authors Eduard Khanok and Ilya Reznik).
NUMBER OF MEMBERS OF THE MOVEMENT
On May 22, 2016 at the Walentyna Tereshkova Military
Patriotic Education Center in Jaroslaw,
the first 104 students joined the ranks of the military patriotic movement Young
Army as part of a pilot project. At the end of October 2016, the number of
participants in the Young Army military-patriotic movement was over 26,000,
aged 11 to 18. Membership in the organization is voluntary and open. Every
student, social organization, club or search unit can join the ranks of the military
patriotic Young Army movement. In April 2017, the Movement had 70,000 members,
and headquarters were opened in all 85 entities of the Russian Federation. As of
June 2017, the Movement numbered over 117,000 people, and in September 2017 -
over 160,000 members. In May 2018, according to the statement of the head of
the Air Force Academy, Colonel General Gennady Zibrov, the number of members of
the Movement exceeded 230,000 * people. According to Novaja Gazeta, such a rapid growth was due to the fact that all
schoolchildren were automatically included in the Movement, as the school
administration received orders to establish military-patriotic units.
Young Army troops also operate in Armenia, Tajikistan and Abkhazia.
TRAINING
Young Army members are trained to shoot, provide medical aid and use maps. In
their free time, members of the Young Army will keep "worthy of remembrance"
at the Eternal Flame, engage in volunteer activities, protect monuments, and
take part in other events. In addition, it is planned to involve members of the
Movement in the elimination of crisis situations, research work on the
battlefields of the Great Patriotic War (WWII) and help for veterans.
In each educational institution and public organization in which branches of Young
Army will be established, it is planned to open the Chamber of Young Army,
intended for science and creative activities; the banner, branch book and
various literature will also be stored there.
For teaching purposes, it is intended to involve teachers, military personnel
and reserve officers. Military and sports grounds should be of fundamental
importance in the training program of the Movement's members. In addition, the
core course will cover national history and the basics of Orthodox culture, and
additional programs will be left to the discretion of the regional authorities.
In the summer of 2017, the Young Army Summer Camp was opened for the first time
in the Military-Patriotic Park of Culture and Recreation of the Armed Forces of
the Russian Federation "Patriot". On September 10, 2018, the "Young
Army" House was opened on the premisses of the 154th Separated Command's Preobrazhensky Regiment Base.
FOUNDERS AND MANAGEMENT
The co-founders of the Young Army movement are: Public Veterans Organization of
the Russian Armed Forces, CSKA, represented by the deputy Svetlana Chorkina, as well as
Valentina Tereshkova and Valery Vostrotin.
The heads of regional branches are elected at the assemblies of Young Army
participants. In October 2016, the former
commander of the Air Force, Vladimir
Shamanov became the Moscow branch of the
Movement. At the head of the regional headquarters of the Moscow region is
Olympic champion Alexander Legkov. The Headquarters of the Young Army
military-patriotic movement includes famous athletes, astronauts and actors
such as cosmonaut Sergei Krikalov, commentator Dmitry Gubernev, actor Mikhail Galustian and others.
In October 2017, two-time world champion in high jumping, Jelena
Slesarienko, was appointed the head of the apparatus of the General Staff
of Young Army.
Since 2018, the mentor of the Young Army
social movement has been Nikita Mikhalkov
HEAD OF THE GENERAL STAFF
HOSTN Nagorny Nikita Vladimirovich (from December 19, 2020)
Romanenko Roman Yurievich (2018-2020)
Trunienkov Dmitry Vyacheslavovich (2016-2018)
OPINIONS
The establishment of Young Army met with mixed reactions from part of the society
Russian. Russian and foreign critics of the Movement pointed to the progressing
militarization of the country and the involvement of children in politics,
drawing parallels with the Hitler Youth organization NSDAP. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu
said the Movement does not aim to militarize youth, but must counteract what "is
done to youth in other entities" and what is "shown on television
screens".
SCANDALS
In 2018, it was revealed that an official Alexei Kuczawa, previously convicted
of fraud, will be the head of the Young Army Headquarters in Tula.
In July 2019, Pawel Podporin, head of the Young Army branch in Magadan, was fired because he was
accused of harassing a student. In October, Alexei Naavgust, the head of one of
the departments of the headquarters near Moscow, was arrested for molesting a
student.
In 2021, a children's camp in the Novosibirsk region attacked four members of Young
Army who started firing blank cartridges.
AWARDS
In January 2018, a three-tier badge of " Young Army Courage" was
introduced.
_______________________________
*The German-language version states that in March 2020, the Young Army organization had 600,000 members.