Executive Summary:
- The Movement of the First, a successor to the Soviet Pioneers, is growing, indicating the potential for a more radicalized, militarized Russian future.
- The Kremlin-sponsored organization is ostensibly designed to promote creative work and life in Russia, but its actions suggest that the real goal is to foster nationalism among young Russians.
- The Kremlin’s overlap of the Movement of the First with other youth structures replicates Russia’s management of paramilitary groups and provides a confusing and layered picture with potentially divided loyalties.
Read the full article from Eurasia Daily Monitor here.
