Avangard Center
The Center for the Development of Military Sports Training and Patriotic Education of Youth [tsentra voenno-sportivnoj podgotovki i patrioticheskogo vospitaniya] is a Russian organization that was registered in Moscow in December 2022. The training program at the Center is designed for 144 hours. The first Avangard teaching center opened in 2020 at a military-themed park outside Moscow. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that more Avangard military-patriotic youth education centers would be built in other Russian cities with populations of more than 100,000. By 2023 there were 23 Avangard centers operating in Russia.
The organization is located in a building on Radio Street, 7, where the International Federation of All-Style Karate, the Federation of All-Style Karate of Russia, the Kyokushin Association of Russia, the Moscow Institute for Professional Retraining and Advanced Training of Teachers and the Russian Union of Martial Arts are also registered. In September 2022, the head of state ordered the opening of such centers on the basis of regional branches of the Russian Union of Martial Arts. The pilot project included 12 regions, including the Sverdlovsk region.
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), reported 14 May 2023 that a new Russian force generation organization called “Voin” (“Warrior”) may have replaced DOSAAF [Russian Volunteer Society for Assistance to the Army, Aviation, and Navy of Russia]. The organization would provide combat training and education to Russians between 14 and 35 years old. Former Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Sergey Avakyants is leading the organization. ISW reported it was "unclear if DOSAAF was disbanded and reformed into “Voin” or if “Voin” had subsumed DOSAAF’s organization into a new vertically integrated organization under Avakyants’ and the Russian Ministry of Defense‘s (MoD’s) control."
Over time, it became clear that the new Voin operation was on a much smaller scale than DOSAAF and had not subsumed the much larger outfit, though the precise relationship between the two remained unclear. DOSAAF remained a nominally non-governmental organization, while Voin was pretty clearly under the MoD.
Vladimir Putin called patriotism the national idea of the country. In all Russian cities with a population of more than 100,000 people, Avangard centers for the military-patriotic education of young people will be opened. "The activity of Avangard is one of the key criteria for assessing the effectiveness of the region's work in preparing citizens for military service," Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said at a conference call 14 May 2021. The minister noted that President Vladimir Putin approved the idea to create an all-Russian network of Avangard centers.
Shoigu mentioned the Nizhny Novgorod and Tula regions, the republics of Mari El and Dagestan, as well as the Stavropol Territory, "which were the first to create centers and show good results." “Unfortunately, there are still no such educational sites in the Vladimir, Ivanovo, Yaroslavl regions and the Jewish Autonomous Region,” the head of the defense department complained.
A year-round center for military-patriotic education "Avangard" will be opened in the Kamchatka Territory. “Unfortunately, the opening this year was not possible due to the spread of coronavirus infection. Currently, launch work has been resumed. We are counting on cooperation with the forces of the army and navy to implement patriotic educational programs,” said Acting Governor of the Kamchatka Territory Vladimir Solodov 12 August 2020. According to him, the military-patriotic education center will be opened on the basis of the out-of-town children's camp Voskhod.
In the Vologda Oblast, the region's first military-patriotic education center "Avangard" will be created for high school students and students. Earlier it was reported that the Center for Military-Patriotic Education of Youth "Avangard" will be opened near Novosibirsk.
“On behalf of President Vladimir Putin and with the support of the Russian Ministry of Defense, we have begun to create the largest educational and methodological center for military-patriotic education in the North-West of the country. Here we will prepare high school boys and students of technical schools and colleges for military service, engage in military-patriotic education and physical development," Vologda Region Governor Oleg Kuvshinnikov said following the results of the August 2022 regional teachers' council.
"We will hold the first training camp in 2023. Raising children is a strategic national priority. Strengthening patriotism, preserving historical truth when presenting past and present events will help form civic consciousness and a clear moral position in relation to their homeland," he stressed.
The institution of additional education will be organized on the basis of the sports and recreation complex "Izumrud", located in the Vologda region. Every year, five thousand schoolchildren and students of secondary specialized educational institutions of the region will attend training camps on the basics of military service there.
In the Avangard center, children will be able to practice shooting sports, master orientation, navigation and communication skills, learn how to control drones and gain knowledge in the basics of robotics. Five-day camps will be organized during school hours, shifts for members of the Yunarmiya and short-term refresher courses for teachers teaching the basics of life safety will be organized during the holidays, according to a message on the website of the regional government.
Another area of patriotic work will be the introduction of the "Heroes of the Vologda" course into school curricula. It will be developed by a team of researchers - historians, methodologists, archival and museum workers. It is planned to introduce the course for schoolchildren from grades 1 to 11. The military-sports game Zarnitsa-2022 started in Primorye. For the first time , a program of patriotic education will be sent to children's holiday camps. State awards will be presented for the civil and patriotic education of children and youth.
«Avangard» Educational & Methodological Center was founded by the Government of Moscow and the Government of Moscow Region under the auspices of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. The idea of creation of the Center was supported by the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin. Sergey Shoigu, General of the Army, Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, Sergey Sobyanin, Mayor of Moscow, and Andrey Vorobyov, Governor of Moscow Region, participated the cornerstone laying ceremony, which took place on 10th September 2019.
“Avangard” Center located in “Patriot” Park in Odintsovo district of Moscow Region was completed within 372 days. The Center occupies the total area of 28.45 hectares. The Center can accommodate 600 trainees at the same time; however, its capacity is expected to be increased up to 900 trainees. A training session lasts for 5 days during which the trainees will get familiarized with 5 military occupational specialties under the guidance of 110 instructors, teachers and youth leaders. The Center trains more than 30 thousand trainees a year.
The Avangard center focuses on the most advanced technologies for basic military training: from laser rifles to a parachute jump simulator. Participants of the courses will gain knowledge on safe handling of weapons, the basics of interaction and tactics, applied skills in emergency situations, and teamwork.
On 11 May 2023, regional branches of the ANO "Center for the Development of Military Sports Training and Patriotic Education of Youth" opened in twelve regions of Russia at once, where young people of pre-conscription and military age under the guidance of experienced instructors can take an intensive course in military applied business.
The initiative to revive the system of voluntary military sports training and patriotic education of youth in Russia belonged to the co-chairs of the Russian Union of Martial Arts - First Deputy Head of the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation Sergey Kiriyenko and Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation - Plenipotentiary Representative of the President of the Russian Federation in the Far Eastern Federal District Yuri Trutnev. In September 2022, the idea was supported by President Vladimir Putin.
“Unfortunately, over the past 30 years, elementary military training in schools has disappeared in our country, the number of students in military departments at universities has significantly decreased, the activity of DOSAAF has decreased, insufficient attention is paid to the education of patriotism in educational institutions. Today, when we need to fulfill the tasks of a special military operation in Ukraine, when the settlements of the Belgorod, Bryansk, Kursk regions are being fired upon by the enemy, the ability to hold weapons in our hands, provide medical care, and the ability to defend the Motherland should become an obligatory part of education,” said Yuri Trutnev.
Twelve regions have been selected to accommodate pilot regional branches of the Center: Buryatia, Donetsk People's Republic, Kalmykia, Tatarstan, Chechen Republic, Khabarovsk Territory, Belgorod, Kemerovo, Pskov, Sverdlovsk, Tyumen regions and the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug. The nearest plans include the opening of regional branches throughout Russia. The headquarters, which provides methodological support for the activities of regional branches and coordinates their work, is located in Moscow, headed by Admiral Sergei Avakyants. RSBI decided to name the Training Center after the name "Warrior".
The work of the Center for Military Sports Training and Patriotic Education started on 11 May 2023 in Yekaterinburg. “Today is an important event, in my opinion. At all times in Russia, the spirit, character, patriotism were the most sought-after qualities of a young man. It is they who will be educated by the new center,” Vice-Governor of the Sverdlovsk Region Oleg Chemezov addressed the audience. The center, whose base at the initial stage was the Sverdlovsk Regional Pedagogical College, is ready to accept anyone aged 14-35. For training, a stadium, a climbing wall, a sports hall and a weightlifting hall are also equipped here.
“The purpose of the center is to help young people in the formation of the personal qualities of a citizen, a patriot who is proud of his homeland. We are not preparing future military men - this is not the question. We bring up certain qualities of a real man who consciously loves the Motherland and is ready to protect his family at any moment, ”said Sergey Avakyants, head of the board of the ANO Center for the Development of Military Sports Training and Patriotic Education of Youth.
The training program is designed not only for young people of military age who want to prepare for service in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, but also for schoolchildren who are interested in learning the basics of military skill. In addition to military sports training, students will be given lectures on the history of the Fatherland, touching on issues of national security and geopolitical problems.
More than 3,000 people will be trained in the first enrollment. Cadets will receive practical skills necessary for future defenders of the Fatherland - experience in firearms, tactical and engineering training, communications organization, field medicine and UAV control. The training period will be from three weeks to three months, depending on the training program. Summer camps for cadets began on June 1.
The teaching staff of the regional departments is formed from professional instructors. They were selected based on the results of the competition and sent for additional training. The training program consisted of three parts: first, the students studied at the Russian University of Special Forces, then they were trained at the Mashuk Youth Multifunctional Patriotic Center, and completed their studies at the Moscow State Pedagogical University with the participation of the Training Center for Tactical Medicine. The training of instructors will be improved during regular business trips to the NWO zone.
"From June 1 to June 10, military-patriotic shifts will start at once in 11 regions of Russia on the basis of summer recreation camps. They are organized by the Voin Center for Military Sports Training and Patriotic Education of Youth. In total, over 9 thousand teenagers will take part in them between the ages of 14 and 17," the press service of the Far Eastern embassy reported.
Shifts will be held in children's health camps in the republics of Buryatia , Kalmykia , Tatarstan and Chechnya , in the Khabarovsk Territory , in the Belgorod, Kemerovo, Pskov, Sverdlovsk, Tyumen regions, as well as the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug. Each of them will last 21 days and will take up to 300 teenagers. Over 9,000 teenagers will take part in the camp until the end of summer.
As part of the shifts, young people will learn the basics of Russia's national security, firearms, tactical, engineering training, tactical medicine, communication and piloting of unmanned aerial vehicles, and consolidate the results in military sports games. Schoolchildren will also take part in the days of military glory and lessons of courage, meet with veterans of the Great Patriotic War and a special military operation, with famous athletes and coaches. They will also study the history of Russia on the examples of the exploits of Soviet and Russian soldiers and officers, volunteers and volunteers.
The classes will be conducted by instructors from the regional branches of the Voin center, who have been trained at the Russian Special Forces University, the Mashuk Youth Multifunctional Patriotic Center and the Moscow Pedagogical State University with the participation of the Training Center for Tactical Medicine and the Russian Federation of Practical Shooting.
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