Russia pressures university students to become wartime drone pilots with financial incentives

Russian universities are offering students free tuition, up to $70,000 in payments, tax holidays, loan forgiveness, and free land in exchange for one-year military service as drone pilots. At least 270 academic institutions are promoting military contracts to students, targeting a population of approximately 2 million men with technical skills. Bloomberg and NBC News reported that at least one student drone pilot has already been killed in combat, despite promises of no frontline duty.