In St. Petersburg, the conservatory has begun encouraging students to enlist in the Russian Federation’s unmanned systems forces
A page has appeared on the official website of the St. Petersburg State Conservatory named after Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov calling on people to sign a contract with the Russian Ministry of Defense and enlist in the Unmanned Systems Forces (USF). Prospective contract soldiers are being offered the opportunity to become drone operators, with promises of special service conditions and financial compensation.
The announcement states that men and women between the ages of 18 and 45 are invited to join the Unmanned Systems Troops.
Potential candidates are offered a one-year contract with the stated option to be discharged upon its completion.
It also states that service members will be assigned exclusively to unmanned aerial vehicle units and will undergo two months of training before beginning their service.
For the duration of their service, the conservatory is offering students the option to take an academic leave of absence.
In addition, promotional materials mention various social benefits, as well as monetary rewards for “destroying enemy weapons and military equipment.”
The St. Petersburg Conservatory is Russia’s oldest institution of higher education in music; its alumni include Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Dmitri Shostakovich, and Sergei Prokofiev.
Previously, similar calls to enlist in military service had already appeared on the websites of the St. Petersburg State Stieglitz Academy of Art and Industry, which trains artists, designers, and restorers, as well as the Moscow Architectural Institute (MARCHI) and other creative educational institutions.
There are several aspects to the issue of potential mobilization in Russia.
Amid rumors of a possible new wave of mobilization, Russians have begun turning en masse to human rights advocates in search of ways to avoid being sent to war. According to representatives of relevant organizations, not only is the number of inquiries increasing, but so is the level of concern among citizens.
