Students at one of Russia’s leading engineering universities are getting a lucrative offer: ditch their studies for a year, fly drones for the military and earn more than 5 million rubles ($68,275) in pay as well as free tuition on their return.
Politics Facebook X LinkedIn Email Link Gift Expand An advertisement promoting contract military service in the Russian army’s unmanned systems units in St. Petersburg.
Photographer: Olga Maltseva/AFP/Getty Images Facebook X LinkedIn Email Link Gift Gift this article Contact us: Provide news feedback or report an error Confidential tip?
Send a tip to our reporters Site feedback: Take our Survey New Window Facebook X LinkedIn Email Link Gift By Bloomberg News May 15, 2026 at 3:15 AM UTC Bookmark Save Students at one of Russia’s leading engineering universities are getting a lucrative offer: ditch their studies for a year, fly drones for the military and earn more than 5 million rubles ($68,275) in pay as well as free tuition on their return.
Pamphlets distributed at Bauman Moscow State Technical University promise students who sign up for the unmanned systems forces will fly drones from far behind the front lines, but still qualify for combat veteran status.
