New Kremlin project aims at militarising families
Military-style games involving families from all over Russia aim at "strengthening traditional values and ties between generations." Among the participants is the Maksimenko family from Zaozersk, a naval town on the Kola Peninsula.
In the Family-Zarnitsa games, selected families from almost all of the Russian regions compete in various military-style exercises.
Among the drills are grenade throwing, dismantling and reassembly of Kalashnikov assault rifles, tactical field operations, marksmanship training, as well as first aid and the evacuation of injured people.
The training grounds resemble a war zone, and the participating families are dressed in military uniforms and equipped with various military gear. Each team has a coach—a veteran from the war of aggression against Ukraine, the organisers explain.
The games build on the Zarnitsa, an annual military competition organised for youth. Both initiatives are supported by the Russian war ministry.
Reportedly, it was Deputy War Minister Anna Tsivilova who formally presented the Family-Zarnitsa initiative in early 2025. The proposal was subsequently supported by Vladimir Putin.
"Today, the ‘Family-Zarnitsa’ project brings families together, strengthens the bond between generations, and integrates veterans of the Special Military Operation into a system of mentoring and patriotic education for young people," Tsivilova said in a comment.
This year’s games were organised by the militaristic youth organisations Yunarmiya, VOIN, and Dvizheniye Pervykh (First Movement), along with the so-called Defenders of the Fatherland state fund.
For years, the Kremlin has actively worked to involve Russian kids and teenagers in militaristic youth organisations. Several hundred thousand Russian children and youth are today members of organisations such as Yunarmiya and VOIN.
At the ‘Family-Zarnitsa’ the teams consist of two adults and two children aged 11 or over. After regional qualification games, a national final brings together families from all over the country, all of them coached by war veterans.
The Maksimenko family from Zaozersk won the regional games against families from Pechenga, Lovozero, and Murmansk, and subsequently proceeded to the national final in Volgograd, where they finished 10th out of 89 participating teams, Yevgeniya Maksimenko explains on her social media page.
According to Yevgeniya, the mother of the family, the main lesson from the games was not about drones, mines, shooting, grenades, radio communications, or first aid. The most important thing was the teamwork.
"We’ve become a REAL team. There are no ‘mums’, ‘dads’, or ‘kids’ here," she said in a comment on her social media page.
The Maksimenko family has long been closely connected with the political establishment in the Murmansk region.
For years, Yevgeniya Maksimenko has been involved in United Russia party politics. In 2025, she was given an award by party leader and former president Dmitry Medvedev for her work for United Russia’s women’s movement.
The eldest of the Maksimenko daughters, Liza, is a member of the military youth organisation VOIN in Murmansk.
