Lithuania wants to teach kids as young as 8 years old how to fly drones to counter Russian threats
Lithuania has announced plans to open nine drone training centers across the country to teach over 22,000 people — including children as young as eight — how to build and operate drones, as part of a broader push to strengthen national defense capabilities against potential Russian aggression.
Defense Minister Dovilė Šakalienė said the initiative aims to enhance the NATO member’s readiness in light of growing security concerns in Eastern Europe, where drone warfare has become a key element on the battlefield.
“We plan that 15,500 adults and 7,000 children will acquire drone control skills by 2028,” Šakalienė stated. The program will be tailored by age, beginning with third and fourth graders learning the basics of drone construction and piloting. High school students will dive deeper, studying the design and manufacturing of drone components while training with first-person view (FPV) drones — the same type used on Ukraine’s front lines.
The initiative, part of a broader civil resistance training effort, is expected to cost nearly $4 million. It includes the purchase of advanced FPV drones and the development of a mobile app to coordinate training efforts. The first three centers will open in September in Jonava, Tauragė, and Kėdainiai, with six more to follow over the next three years.
Drones have become essential tools in the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia, with both sides relying heavily on UAVs for surveillance and combat. Russia has escalated drone use in attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure, while Ukraine has used the same technology to strike targets deep inside Russian territory.
In response to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Lithuania — along with other Baltic nations — has stepped up its defense measures. Meanwhile, Finland and Sweden, now NATO members, have advised citizens to prepare for possible conflict, as tensions with Moscow continue to rise.
In April, reports surfaced that Russia had expanded military bases near the Finnish border, just 100 miles away, further fueling regional security concerns.
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