They Promise a Host of Benefits: VDIK Is Recruiting Prospective Students to Fight in the War Against Ukraine
29 July 21:45
Prospective students in the cinematography department at the All-Russian State Institute of Cinematography (VDIK) are being offered free tuition starting in the 2027 academic year if they sign a contract with the Russian Ministry of Defense to serve in the UAV forces for a period of one year. This was reported by "Komersant Ukrainian", citing DW.
The publication drew attention to an announcement about recruitment for a “special group” in cinematographer Mikhail Agranovich’s workshop, posted on the Cinematography Department’s “VKontakte” page.
The post indicates that those who sign a contract with the Russian Ministry of Defense will be provided with free dormitory housing, combat veteran status and corresponding benefits, as well as “expanded technical and financial opportunities for student film projects.”
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Contract service will be equated with on-call military service, the announcement states. However, at present, the term of any contract signed with the Russian Ministry of Defense is automatically extended until the end of the “partial mobilization,” an order for which dictator Vladimir Putin signed in September 2022.
Russian universities must send 2% of their students to war
For several years now, Russian universities have been encouraging students and prospective students to enlist in contract military service by offering benefits, cash bonuses, and free tuition. In 2026, it was reported that Higher Education Minister Valery Falkov demanded that the leadership of Russian universities and colleges send 2% of their students to fight in Ukraine.
Specifically, at the Higher School of Economics, members of the BARS (the so-called Combat Army Reserve) and the military drone forces were promised free education in the summer of 2026 if they served for one year under a special contract arranged through the university.
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