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Russia’s war against Ukraine prompts Czechia to train teenagers in combat skills to strengthen national defense

Czech military launches first voluntary training program for high school students to strengthen national defense capabilities.

Czechia began its inaugural voluntary military training program for high school students, with 718 participants beginning four weeks of intensive instruction at eight military bases across the country in the first program of its kind.

The initiative represents part of a broader defense strategy aimed at strengthening national security capabilities while providing youth development opportunities.

The program was initiated in the wake of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Czech military leaders have explicitly cited the need to increase the number of recruits and strengthen national resilience in response to the deteriorating security situation in Europe.

According to the Ministry of Defense, the program attracted nearly 750 applicants aged 18 to 22 years, with five candidates failing entrance medical examinations and others withdrawing for personal reasons. Female students comprise approximately 20% of the participant cohort, all of whom must be enrolled in secondary education to qualify.

Czechia trains 718 teenagers in combat tactics during four-week voluntary military program that aims to expand national reserves while introducing young people to military service. Photo: Czech Ministry of Defense

Army General Karel Řehka, Chief of the General Staff of the Czech Armed Forces, stated that the program seeks to “actively reach out to the young generation and introduce them to military service” while “expanding our reserves” through increased societal resilience.

Participants will receive comprehensive military instruction including:

  • tactical fundamentals
  • small arms training
  • grenade handling
  • topographical navigation
  • engineering preparation
  • first aid certification.

The curriculum also incorporates physical conditioning through morning exercises and field maneuvers, culminating in a two-day field exercise under natural conditions.

Can teenagers handle this intensity? The military thinks so. Students who complete the program take a ceremonial oath in their garrison town and receive 40,498 Czech crowns—roughly $1,900—before taxes.

Photos: Czech Ministry of Defense

But the money isn’t the real incentive here. The Czech Ministry of Defense frames this as preparation for “crisis situations” while strengthening “the state’s defense capabilities.” 

The initiative coincides with the Czech military’s Reserve Resources 2025 mobilization exercises conducted in June, which focused on emergency and wartime conscription procedures, according to previous ministry announcements.

Since the full-scale invasion began in 2022, Czechia has provided Ukraine with extensive military aid focused heavily on artillery ammunition and heavy weapons. In 2024 alone, the Czech-led ammunition initiative supplied Ukraine with 1.5 million rounds of artillery shells, including 500,000 large-caliber 155mm and 152mm shells. Czechia also delivered 89 tanks, 226 infantry fighting vehicles and other armored vehicles, and 38 self-propelled howitzers, alongside air assets such as combat helicopters.  The country helps to train Ukrainian soldiers, particularly pilots of F-16 and L-39 aircraft.
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Lithuania and Finland to start domestic landmine production for themselves and Ukraine amid Russian threat

Anti-personnel mine found on Ukrainian territory.

Lithuania and Finland are preparing to begin domestic production of anti-personnel landmines next year to supply themselves and Ukraine, according to officials from both NATO member states who spoke to Reuters.

The countries are ready to begin manufacturing once their six-month withdrawal from the Ottawa Convention is complete.

The Ottawa Convention banned anti-personnel landmines worldwide. Since 1999, it has drawn 164 countries committed to destroying their mine stockpiles and clearing contaminated land, as mines can cause severe injuries and deaths among civilians. But here’s the problem: Russia, China, and the United States never signed on. Neither did India or Pakistan. The world’s major military powers kept their mines.
This decision reflects growing European concerns that Russia’s military ambitions may extend beyond Ukraine. Recently, NATO states have pledged to increase defense spending up to 5% in line with demands from US President Donald Trump.

Lithuania shares 274 kilometers (170 miles) of border with Russia and 679 kilometers (421 miles) with Belarus, a key Kremlin’s ally, so they are concerned about the country’s security amid continued Russia’s aggression in Ukraine.

“We are going to spend hundreds of millions of euros on anti-tank mines, but also on anti-personnel mines. It will be a significant amount,” Lithuanian Deputy Defense Minister Karolis Aleksa told Reuters. How many? Tens of thousands, possibly more.

Can they actually produce them? “Our national industry will be one of the sources. Our industry can make these,” Aleksa said.

Helsinki had more than 1 million anti-personnel landmines before joining the Ottawa Convention in 2011. They destroyed them all, following the rules. Now they’re rebuilding that capability as Finland’s border with Russia stretches 1,340 kilometers (832 miles)—longer than any other NATO state.

Both countries have concluded the same thing: when your neighbor stockpiles weapons banned by treaties they never signed, you need every defensive option available.

Other Eastern European countries consider mines production amid Russia’s threat

Three additional NATO and European Union states – Poland, Latvia and Estonia – are also exiting the treaty, citing heightened security concerns about Russia due to its war in Ukraine. While these three countries have not announced production plans, officials in Poland and Latvia indicated they could begin manufacturing quickly if necessary, and Estonia views it as a future possibility.

All five NATO countries say they won’t create minefields during peacetime. Instead, they’ll store the mines for rapid deployment if threatened. Poland has already designated zones that could be mined within days as part of future military fortifications along its eastern frontier.

Ukraine has similarly announced its withdrawal from the 1997 Ottawa treaty to better defend against Russia, which is not a party to the agreement.

This decision comes after nearly two decades of compliance since Ukraine joined the treaty in 2005, but the full-scale Russian invasion and Russia’s ongoing use of mines have forced Ukraine to reconsider its position.

Anti-personnel mine found on Ukrainian territory.
Explore further

Ukraine exits global mine ban for self-defense reasons as Russia ignores international law

The Ukrainian government argues that the treaty unfairly restricts its right to self-defense under the UN Charter, especially as Russia cynically employs mines and other weapons without regard for international law. 

Lithuania and Finland plan to supply Ukraine with mines

Vincas Jurgutis, head of Lithuania’s defense industry association, said once production is established, Lithuania would be positioned to supply others including Ukraine.

Finland could also supply landmines to Ukraine, Finnish parliament defence committee chair Heikki Autto said. “It is not only right and our duty to support Ukraine, it is also important for Finland’s own security.”

But here’s the humanitarian concern: Anti-personnel mines detonate when triggered by contact, vibration or tripwires, and can harm civilians as well as combatants. Many remain in the ground long after conflicts conclude.

Anti-mine campaigners have criticized the countries leaving the Ottawa Convention, arguing that reintroducing anti-personnel mine production could be expensive and time-consuming to make fully operational.

Russia’s ambassador to Helsinki said in April that Finland’s decision to quit the Ottawa treaty would create risks only for Finnish residents since its military planned to mine only Finnish territory.

The countries’ governments, however, say any minefields must be marked for post-conflict clearance and regard such munitions as deterrence. “When we have them in storage, that is the best guarantee that they will never have to be used,” Autto said.

You could close this page. Or you could join our community and help us produce more materials like this. We keep our reporting open and accessible to everyone because we believe in the power of free information. This is why our small, cost-effective team depends on the support of readers like you to bring deliver timely news, quality analysis, and on-the-ground reports about Russia's war against Ukraine and Ukraine's struggle to build a democratic society. Become a patron or see other ways to support
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