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This is Svetlana Bronnikova from the independent media outlet 7x7. Russian universities and colleges are facing a new wave of militarization. Previously, military enlistment officials only pressured male students to sign contracts with the Ministry of Defense. However, since February 2026, female students have also come under the recruiters' radar. The authorities are actively recruiting young women for contract service in a newly established branch of the military: the drone forces.

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How recruitment works in russian universities

The recruitment campaign targeting male students began last autumn. In October 2025, two men in military uniforms arrived at the Krasnoyarsk College of Sectoral Technologies and Entrepreneurship. According to the students, the recruiters locked the young men in a classroom and began applying psychological pressure, demanding they sign military contracts to serve in the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) forces.

The primary argument used by recruiters during these "talks" was the fear of the inevitable mandatory conscription, coupled with an illusion of safety.

Students were told that operating a drone via a remote control somewhere in the rear is a safe job, unlike the prospect of ending up in a trench as a regular assault trooper immediately after graduation. Furthermore, recruiters promised these young men — many of whom come from impoverished regions — staggering amounts of money by local standards.

By the spring of 2026, the recruitment campaign had reached the country's major intellectual hubs. The list of educational institutions with active recruitment drives now includes not only provincial technical schools but also the country’s leading universities:

• ITMO University (St. Petersburg National Research University of Information Technologies, Mechanics and Optics)
• Samara University
• SIBGIEU (Siberian State Industrial University) in the Kemerovo Region
• YarSU (Yaroslavl State University)
• SFU (Siberian Federal University) in Krasnoyarsk

The ministry's quota: where the "2% plan" comes from

The increased pressure on students stems from the fact that the contract enlistment drive is no longer just the personal initiative of a few patriotically minded university rectors. The process is fully centralized and controlled from the top.

According to the independent outlet Faridaily, the Minister of Science and Higher Education, Valery Falkov, held a closed-door meeting with the heads of higher education institutions. He stated that at least 2% of the total student body at each university must sign a contract with the Ministry of Defense.

In an environment where rectors directly depend on state funding, universities have turned into assembly lines designed to meet military quotas. School administrations are pushing students who are failing their exams or struggling academically toward signing a contract. For some students, as they admit themselves, the army becomes the only way to avoid ending up on the street without a degree and buried in financial debt.

Copying the Ukrainian experience: creating drone forces

Military analyst Kirill Mikhailov attributes this rush to recruit for the unmanned aviation forces to the critical situation the Russian army faces on the frontline. For a long time, Russian UAV operators were entirely self-taught — enthusiasts who had completed short-term volunteer courses.

Meanwhile, as early as February 2024, Ukraine established unmanned systems as a separate, independent branch of its armed forces and began systematically training professional personnel at the state level.

For a long time, Russia attempted to compensate for its operators' lack of expertise with sheer volume — mass-producing kamikaze drones. However, by 2026, this parity dissolved: the Ukrainian side acquired significantly more technologically advanced, long-range, and effective drones.

The creation of drone forces in the Russian Federation is a direct attempt to copy Ukraine's military structure. Since training professionals takes time, the state decided to draft those who already possess basic digital literacy — students in technical fields.

Why does the state need female students?

The most unexpected twist of the spring 2026 campaign was the inclusion of women in the recruitment drives. Military analyst Kirill Mikhailov explains this as a symptom of a deep crisis within the military's enlistment system.

By late 2025 and early 2026, the influx of men voluntarily willing to sign contracts with the Ministry of Defense dropped by 20-25%, while the army's casualty rate shows no signs of slowing down.

In this situation, the Kremlin is forced to expand its mobilization potential by tapping into demographic groups that were previously never viewed as a combat resource. Female university and college students have become the ideal target. They are young, tech-savvy (unlike the older generation of women), and easily trained to work with digital interfaces and software.

Political scientist Margarita Zavadskaya describes the state's motives as follows:

"The state's motive is very simple — a labor shortage. The war requires more and more contract soldiers. The male resource is politically sensitive: direct pressure on men carries the risk of discontent, draft evasion, migration, and mobilization fatigue. Women are becoming an additional reserve. They can be drawn in, but in a softer way, through 'safe' job openings".

Simply put, the Russian authorities are trying to sell the idea that a woman's place in the army is not a muddy trench, but a comfortable office with a monitor, where she can try on the trendy role of a "defender of the motherland".

The Ministry of Defense has even outlined specific criteria for the young women they want to see behind UAV control panels. In May 2026, during a recruitment meeting at the Krasnoyarsk College of Radio Electronics and Information Technologies (KKRIT), a school administration representative and an official in uniform laid out the requirements:

• Age between 18 and 34;
• No criminal record;
• No children (to ensure the woman is not distracted by maternity leave or social obligations).

When the female students asked why they were even being called to such events, the recruiters simply replied that they were just "informing" them.

Why the plan to "feminize" the army is failing

Despite unprecedented administrative pressure and massive propaganda, Russian female students are in no hurry to sign contracts. At the time of data collection, there are only five confirmed cases of young women from regional educational institutions agreeing to join the drone forces.

There is a clear explanation for this. Economic research shows that women are far less willing than men to risk their lives and health for money. The promised millions do not outweigh the fear of death or permanent disability. When choosing a career, young women also look for a stable and safe environment. The army, even in its rear-guard forms, remains a high-risk institution.

Furthermore, young women are well aware that the Russian military machine is deeply steeped in gender stereotypes, sexism, and harassment. Entering a closed, militarized system where a woman has no rights before her commander is a prospect that simply does not appeal to today's generation of female students.