Children at a Russian embassy school in Notting Hill, west London, are being taught to use battlefield drones as part of a new militaristic curriculum. The school, run by the Russian foreign ministry, educates children of diplomats and spies, along with a small number of British citizens.
Lesson plans for the 2025-26 academic year show that Year 10 pupils, aged 15 and 16, had an hour-long class last month on the basics of technical preparation and communications for combat drones. Other lessons covered fortifications engineering, battlefield first aid, and protection against radiological, biological and chemical weapons.
The course, called Fundamentals of Security and Protection of the Motherland (OBZR), was introduced in Russian schools in 2024. It replaced Fundamentals of Life Safety, which included military elements but focused on civilian risks. Under the previous course, pupils learned to assemble Kalashnikov rifles and simulated grenade throws with tennis balls.
Ian Garner, author of Z Generation, said: 'Students at the embassy school are learning very real military skills. This isn’t a course designed to keep safe in the event of an emergency.' He added that the course aligns students with a military identity, telling them 'the war is already happening and it is surrounding you as a Russian.'
The school, founded in 1954, is one of 80 Russian embassy schools worldwide. It is not overseen by the Department for Education or schools inspectorate due to diplomatic exemptions. History lessons use a state-prescribed textbook that describes the Ukraine war as part of Russia's historical mission.
