Russian Embassy School in London Teaches Combat Drones

Children as young as 15 are being taught how to use battlefield drones at a Russian government run school in west London, according to lesson plans reviewed by The Daily Mail.

The Russian Embassy School in Notting Hill, which operates under diplomatic immunity, has introduced formal instruction on combat drone preparation, communications, and battlefield applications as part of Russia’s updated national curriculum.

The one hour lesson on drones forms part of a broader course titled Fundamentals of Security and Protection of the Motherland, known by its Russian acronym OBZR.

This subject replaced the earlier Fundamentals of Life Safety course and marks a clear shift away from civilian emergency preparedness toward direct military readiness.

The curriculum explicitly states that students aged 15 to 17 should learn methods for the combat use of unmanned autonomous vehicles, alongside the history and development of robotic systems used in warfare. In other words, this is not a STEM elective, it is battlefield doctrine scaled down for teenagers.

A wider militarization of education

Drone instruction is only one piece of a much larger program. Other lessons at the embassy school reportedly include trench construction, fortifications engineering, battlefield first aid, formation marching, weapons accuracy training, and protection against chemical, biological, and radiological threats. Why not teach cooking? If you want them to survive, they should know at least how to make a good Borscht.

This mirrors changes rolled out across Russia since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, as the state curriculum has become increasingly shaped by the realities of modern warfare. Drones now dominate the battlefield in Ukraine, with roughly three quarters of casualties attributed to unmanned systems, making their inclusion in military education both deliberate and strategic.

The OBZR course also introduces students to the differences between conscripted and contract military service, effectively familiarizing minors with future pathways into the armed forces. Analysts warn that this framing goes far beyond safety education and instead promotes a permanent wartime mindset.

Ian Garner, author of Z Generation, describes the course as identity formation through militarization, arguing that students are being told the war is already happening and that they must be prepared to participate, even while living and studying in the United Kingdom.

Diplomatic immunity and local concern

Founded in 1954, the Russian Embassy School is one of around 80 similar institutions worldwide, all overseen by Russia’s foreign ministry and required to teach the state curriculum.

The London school serves approximately 60 full time students between the ages of seven and 18, including children of diplomats and intelligence personnel.

Because the school operates as part of the Russian embassy, it falls outside the oversight of the UK Department for Education and school inspection authorities.

That exemption has raised concerns, especially given reports of past activities such as simulated grenade throwing exercises and weapons assembly training using Kalashnikov rifles.

Classrooms reportedly display portraits of Vladimir Putin, and history lessons use state approved textbooks that frame the war in Ukraine as part of Russia’s historical mission, portraying Ukraine as a Western proxy designed to destabilize Russia.

The school has also previously hosted fundraising events connected to Russia’s war effort. Among its former pupils are the children of Russian officials later expelled from the UK for intelligence activities, further complicating the issue.

DroneXL’s Take

This story is not just about drones in a classroom, it is about how unmanned systems have become so central to modern conflict that they now shape childhood education and national identity.

When teenagers are taught combat drone doctrine under diplomatic immunity in the heart of London, it highlights how blurred the line has become between civilian life, education, and permanent war footing. Drones may be tools, but the ideology wrapped around them is doing the real damage.

Photo credit: Daily Mail