Three students enlisted in Russian drone units after a recruitment drive at colleges last year. None was told they’d end up in front-line combat. BBC Russia traced their stories — and their deaths.

In early 2023, teenagers in Russia were permitted to sign military contracts immediately upon turning 18 without any restrictions. Around the same time, “veterans of the SVO” began making regular visits to schools and colleges, urging schoolchildren and college students to go to the front. Then, in late 2025, a mass drive to recruit for drone units swept through vocational colleges and universities: students were promised they would earn good money, serve only a year, and be stationed far fro...