Ministry of Defense: there are no plans to force students to participate in their military training in the BPS troops
The Russian Ministry of Defense has no plans to force Russian university students to participate in a special operation as part of the Unmanned Systems Forces. This was announced on April 27 by the Deputy Minister of Defense of Russia, the head of the Main Military—Political Directorate of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, General Viktor Goremykin.
"The contract with citizens joining the unmanned systems Forces is based on the principle of voluntariness. It is concluded for a period of one year. And only with his (citizen's) consent. If desired, there may be a different contract — not less than a year, but more. We have no intentions or opportunities to force students to participate in the SVR. The Ministry of Defense dismisses a serviceman from military service upon the expiration of this contract," he said.
Goremykin noted that the responsibility for dismissal from service lies with the commanders of military units, personnel authorities and the main Directorate of Personnel of the Ministry of Defense. It keeps personal records and monitors the terms of military personnel's discharge.
According to the general, decrees of the Minister of Defense have been prepared to increase the responsibility of commanders for observing the order of service. They provide for a ban on the transfer of military personnel from the BPS troops to other units, their use only for their intended purpose, strict compliance with the terms of the contract and liability for violations.
Dmitry Afanasyev, Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education of Russia, also commented on reports of alleged pressure on students from universities to sign a contract with the Ministry of Defense.
"It was said that one of the audiences addressed by universities are students with debt, candidates for expulsion. And, by the way, this argument often appears in critical publications that universities allegedly exert excessive influence, pressure on students, and specifically bring them to a situation of debt and expulsion in order to send them to the troops. So I want to say that during this entire period, which has been working for almost three months, we have received only six complaints from students or their parents about this. Every case has been sorted out, none has been confirmed," he assured.
Afanasyev noted that with all the applications received, the students had real academic debts, up to 10 in 10 subjects. He also called the pressure on students unacceptable and noted the dominance of the principle of volunteerism in military service.
In January, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation reported that work had been carried out on recruiting troops for unmanned systems of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation at the points of selection for military service under the contract. It was clarified that citizens were selected for the positions of operators of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), engineers, technicians and other specialties.
On December 19, 2025, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced during the "Results of the Year" that many Russians want to sign contracts for military service, and in 2025, more than 400,000 people came to military enlistment offices. Among those who wish to serve are very young people, students of various universities.
