While the West argues over pronouns and playground equipment, Vladimir Putin has spent the last decade building a terrifying human assembly line designed for one thing: total war. This isn’t a “scouting” club. It isn’t a “youth guard.” According to high-ranking Latvian National Armed Forces Major Jānis Slaidiņš, the Yunarmiya (Young Army) is a factory turning children into “mankurts”—mindless slaves who have been scrubbed of their humanity and reprogrammed as imperial weapons.
As of December 20, 2025, the numbers are staggering and the threat is no longer theoretical. We aren’t just looking at a “youth movement”; we are looking at the foundational infantry of a new, militarized Russian empire that spans from the Pacific to the occupied streets of Ukraine.
The “Child Soldier” Pipeline: From Crayons to Kalashnikovs
The transition is seamless, clinical, and deadly. In Russia, you don’t “choose” a career path; the state chooses it for you. Slaidiņš warns that the Yunarmiya functions as a direct, frictionless pipeline into the Russian Ministry of Defense.
The second a recruit turns 18, they aren’t looking for college applications—they are signing military contracts. They have already been “shaped” by years of state ideology, weapons training, and a glorification of the USSR’s “greatness.” By the time they hit the front lines, they don’t see themselves as boys; they see themselves as the “liberators” of a lost empire.
The Controversy Everyone is Ignoring: The Stolen Children of Ukraine
Here is the BS the “human rights” groups are too scared to shout about: Putin isn’t just radicalizing Russian kids. He is actively abducting and indoctrinating children from occupied Ukrainian territories.
They are taking the sons of the men they killed and forcing them into “Putin’s New Army.” These children are being taught to hate their own heritage and worship the flag of the country that destroyed their homes. This isn’t just “military training”—it is cultural genocide on a mass scale, and the world is watching it happen in 4K.
The Cold Hard Truth from the Insiders
What are the insiders saying behind closed doors? Western intelligence knows this isn’t about “patriotism.” Major Slaidiņš puts it bluntly: the difference between a Latvian youth guard and the Yunarmiya is the difference between a citizen and a drone.
“Our task is to raise patriots,” Slaidiņš said during a recent TV24 broadcast. “In the case of Russia, it is about the greatness of the USSR and military thinking.” Insiders suggest that 120,000 former Yunarmiya members have already been deployed to the meat-grinder in Ukraine. They aren’t soldiers; they are expendable assets raised from the age of eight to believe that dying for Putin is the ultimate “divine blessing.”
Deep Background: 1.8 Million and Counting
The scale is the real horror story.
- Total Membership: Exceeds 1,800,000 children.
- Active Deployment: Over 120,000 “graduates” sent to the war as of late 2024/early 2025.
- The Goal: Total militarization of Russian society by 2030.
This isn’t just a Russian problem. It’s a global security nightmare. While the US military struggles to meet recruitment quotas, Putin has nearly two million “pre-trained” warriors waiting in the wings, fueled by a toxic mix of imperial nostalgia and “liberation” myths.
The “Rage Trigger”: The Divine Blessing Scam
To top it all off, the Russian Church is in on the grift. Church leaders have gone on record hailing Putin as a “divine blessing.” They are using religion to sanctify the militarization of children. They are telling mothers that their sons aren’t becoming “mindless slaves,” but “warriors of God.” It’s a sick, psychological trap that ensures a steady supply of bodies for a war that never ends.

