Russia has established a center that will train war veterans to teach teenage students the new security and defense course, the education ministry announced today, in another sign of the military’s growing influence in Russian society.

Moscow overhauled the school curriculum after launching what it calls a “special military operation” in Ukraine.

The new textbooks contain a revised interpretation of the fall of the Soviet Union, the era of Vladimir Putin and the reasons that led to the war in Ukraine.

An existing course is also being revised to include basic military training for students aged 16 and over.

The new course, where according to the ministry the children will be taught how to handle a Kalashnikov, various grenades as well as self-defense, is called “Basic Principles of Homeland Security and Defense.”

Education Minister Sergei Kravtsov was quoted as telling the TASS news agency that this year “a center (…) was established where teachers-veterans of the special military operation and those who have taken part in battles will be retrained” to then teach the students.

Students will also be taught how to operate unmanned aircraft, an area seen as increasingly important on the battlefield, according to the Ministry of Defense which advised the Ministry of Education on the content of the course.

Last July, President Vladimir Putin said he wanted veterans to be active citizens. According to official figures, at least 133,000 people have been designated war veterans in Ukraine, meaning they and their families receive a range of financial and other benefits.