Black panthers

 “Yunarmia” (the Young Army Movenemt) is a Russian military-patriotic movement, which was found in 2016 for the purpose of fostering patriotism, civil liability and willingness to serve their homeland in young people. As of 2024, Yunarmia unites more than 1.3 million children and teenagers across the entire Russia. Regional headquarters are represented in all 89 subjects of the country. The age of participants varies from 8 to 18 years old. 

In Vologda, same as in all major cities, there is Yunarmia detachment with the name “Black Panthers”. The members of this detachement are teenagers aged 16 and 17. They march, train, study history, and participate in military patriotic games. Besides them trying on the role of a soldier, another important thing happens to them. They mature. Their personalities are being formed and they are preparing to become full members of society. Meanwhile, they are greatly influenced by their participation in this movement. 

Many Yunarmia teens are going through similar experience across the country. In their essays, they shared thoughts on their participation in Yunarmia, what the organization has taught them, and the impact it has made on their views and imagined future. The entire text below is made up of excerpts from guys' essays. Punctuation and spelling have been preserved  

“This is the fourth year already I am a member of our detachement’s Yunarmia Press Center. Together with my associates, we implement projects of patriotic orientation, shoot stories, social advertising. And this is also a kind of defense of our Homeland, defense of its past, struggle against attempts to rewrite history, distorting the facts, fighting for the souls and consciousness of growing generation! As the great russian scientist Mikhail Vasilyevich Lomonosov said: “A nation ignorant of its past has no future”.  

Medical training lesson. Members of the detachment practicing medical care for various wounds and injuries. They practice applying tourniquets, bandaging wounds, and transporting wounded people

“At first It wasn’t easy. Close-order drill, marching, learning the charter — it all seemed a bit boring and tedious. But gradually I got involved. I began to like the sence of unity with my comrades, the sence of of collective responsibility for common cause. Special delight was caused by military-sports games, competitions and training in various disciplines. Here I could show my strength, agility and endurance. This is where I felt, what the real teamwork, mutual support and competitive spirit are like.”  

Overcoming an obstacle course  

“I have always been attracted to the military-sports direction, as a child I liked to play “war game” and soccer with boys, I was especially good at goal standing (I was a great goalkeeper), I liked to jump on the garage roofs, and was a real tomboy. So the offer to participate in competitions, in the team of “Zarnitsa” (military-patriotic competition) members of our detachment, was accepted by me with great pleasure. I was fond of classes on close-order drill and combat training, history and medicine, RСBD (radiation, chemical and biological defense) and physical training.

 

My debut at Zarnitsa game took place in spring 2021, by that time I had already been in the Yunarmia movement for a year and a half, however, I had no competition experience yet, so I was insanely happy that I finally could make it to the main team of the middle age group! But when our team took the first place at the municipal stage, my joy was unbounded, I literally cried from happiness! After all, it was my first real victory, and a victory not only in the competition, but also a victory over myself in overcoming difficulties, fatigue, insecurity… Later I literally fell in love with this game, it became a part of me myself and defined my life goals.”  

“I believe Yunarmia is an important organization which can be useful not only to its participants, but also to society in general. Firstly, it fosters patriotism, love for the Motherland and respect for its history. Secondly, it forms such qualities as discipline, responsibility, team spirit and mutual support. Thirdly, it provides young people the opportunity to receive initial military training and develop their physical skills. And fourthly, it it helps to decide on a future profession by preventing them from making rash decisions.”  

“When I was invited to join ‘summer-lightningers’ team, at the first training session I demonstrated quite good shooting results, which was immediately noted by my supervisor Vladimir Nikolayevich. ‘You’ll shoot like Pavlichenko! ’, — he told me. I wondered who it was? It turned out that Lyudmila Pavlichenko is a Hero of the Soviet Union, the most successful female sniper in world history. 

U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt invited her to the United States, to a gala reception — to make a speech in front of Congress members, where, at one of the meetings with journalists, Lyudmila uttered her famous phrase to the Allies of the USSR in the anti-Hitler coalition: ‘I am 25 years old, at the front I managed to destroy 309 fascist invaders. Don’t you think, gentlemen, that you have been hiding behind my back for too long? ’. 

‘What a heroic girl! ’, I thought, after studying her biography, ‘A real defender of her homeland! ’. I don’t know why, but at that moment I wanted to become like her, to be like her — a real defender of my country!”  

Portraits of participants in different classes. Medical training, RСBD (radiation, chemical and biological defense), shooting 

“Yunarmia is a unique youth movement creating a space for self-realization, patriotic education and introduction to values important for civil life. Participation in Yunarmia is not only an opportunity to feel a part of a large community, but also an opportunity to learn, develop, grow personally.”  

Training on disassembly and reassembly of automatic rifle for speed

“The experience recived in Yunarmia strengthened my desire to become a military man. I realized that I was attracted to service, discipline, teamwork and the opportunity to defend my homeland. I see myself as an officer capable of making decisions, lead people and be responsible for their lives. Yunarmia has become for me a kind of preparation school for my future career.”

Physical training class. The detachment has a separate hall equpped where they can use sports gear, play table tennis or chess

“Yunarmia is not just a hobby club, it is a school of life, which helps to form worthy citizens of their country, ready to defend its interests. For me personally, it has become a springboard to the future, helped me realize my goals and strengthened my character.”