Gamification, Indoctrination, Militarization: Meet Yunarmiya

Russia’s largest uniformed youth organisation, Yunarmiya, blends military drills, Soviet nostalgia, and video game aesthetics to shape a new generation of ideologically loyal citizens. With over a million members aged 8–18, the movement is more than patriotic education—it’s strategic social engineering.

As Robert Boroch argues, this is negative leadership: power sustained not through consent but indoctrination. Gamification isn’t just about points and badges—it’s about loyalty, hierarchy, and readiness for real conflict. From summer camps to hybrid operations in Poland, Yunarmiya exports Russian narratives under the guise of memorial ceremonies and “cultural outreach.”

It’s not youth engagement. It’s preparation for battle—in both the physical and informational sense.