Russian authorities continue turning university admission bonus points into a tool for drawing teenagers into militarized projects. This time, they have decided to integrate drone piloting into the GTO program — Ready for Labor and Defense test.
Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyarev announced that a drone operation standard will be tested in 2026, and from 2027 onward it will be open to “all interested participants.”
❗️Students who receive a GTO badge can earn additional points on the Unified State Exam — from two to five points depending on the university.
According to data from our Archive, Russian schools published more than 64,000 posts mentioning GTO during the last academic year alone. Moscow, Novosibirsk Region, and Chelyabinsk Region ranked highest by number of such publications.
Authorities increasingly use bonus Exam points as a mechanism for involving teenagers in militarized and pro-government initiatives. For example, graduates of the military-patriotic training center “VOIN” already receive admission bonuses when applying to universities.
Similar systems exist in other state-backed youth projects. Participants in the “Movement of the First” are promised admission bonuses and state-funded university places, while comparable benefits are also available through “Yunarmiya.”
Another example is the video game project “Berloga,” launched by Putin after the start of the full-scale war. School students are offered an extra 10 Exam points for mastering drone operation skills and software development.
