Russia Pressures University Students to Become Wartime Drone Pilots Russia's universities are aggressively recruiting students to serve as drone pilots, offering free tuition and cash incentives in exchange for military service.
This recruitment effort has all the hallmarks of a calculated gamble: Moscow is targeting an estimated 2 million young men attending Russian universities, with at least 270 academic institutions promoting military contracts.
The push for drone pilots stems from a recognition that young, tech savvy individuals are increasingly valuable on the battlefield.