In Ukraine, students will study the Fundamentals of National Resistance
Starting October 1, 2026, higher education and pre-higher vocational education institutions in Ukraine began teaching the course “Fundamentals of National Resistance.” In the 2026–2027 academic year, 414,200 students will take the course at 948 institutions.
According to the Ministry of Education and Science, “Fundamentals of National Resistance” has been introduced at 275 higher education institutions. A total of 237,616 students will take the course.
An additional 176,615 students will study under the corresponding program at 673 institutions of pre-higher vocational education.
Thus, a total of 414,231 students at 948 educational institutions will begin studying the course in the 2026–2027 academic year.
Mykola Trofimenko, Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine, noted that one of the ministry’s main tasks is to ensure appropriate conditions for the launch of the course.
“Our task, in collaboration with other government agencies overseeing educational institutions, is to ensure appropriate conditions for the implementation of ‘Fundamentals of National Resistance’: to train instructors, provide institutions with clear organizational mechanisms, and support them during the course’s launch. We are also taking into account the needs of private educational institutions that are not governed by the state administration system. All students should have the opportunity to master the course effectively, regardless of the ownership status of the institution where they study,” noted Mykola Trofimenko.
The “Fundamentals of National Resistance” course is designed to equip students with the knowledge and practical skills necessary to respond to contemporary security threats.
In particular, students will gain knowledge regarding:
- responding to contemporary security threats;
- preserving life and health;
- providing first aid;
- citizen preparedness for national resistance.
The Ministry of Education and Science specifically emphasized that taking this course does not mean that students acquire military status.
The Ministry of Education and Science emphasizes that studying “Fundamentals of National Resistance” does not involve undergoing military procedures related to acquiring the status of a person subject to military service.
In particular, the course does not involve:
- taking the military oath;
- undergoing a medical examination;
- reporting to the Territorial Recruitment Center and the Military Registration and Enlistment Office;
- staying at defense force training grounds;
- obtaining a military specialty;
- acquiring the status of a person subject to military service.
Thus, the Ministry of Education and Science emphasizes that the introduction of this course in educational institutions is primarily intended to prepare students to respond to security threats and develop the necessary skills, rather than to have them perform military service.
A separate area of focus for the Ministry of Education and Science is the training of instructors who will teach “Fundamentals of National Resistance.”
The Ministry of Education and Science has developed and submitted to the Ministry of Defense for review a draft plan for the professional development of 541 instructors.
The training is planned to take place at higher military educational institutions and military training units within higher education institutions under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Defense.
The ministry notes that training these instructors is a necessary condition for the full-scale launch of the course and for ensuring its teaching at institutions of higher education and pre-higher vocational education.
This was reported by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine.
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