A Russian neo-Nazi accused of war crimes has delivered a classroom session to pupils at a secondary school in St Petersburg as part of Vladmir Putin's "Lessons in Courage" programme.
Alexey Milchakov, who established the far-right paramilitary group Rusich alongside others, has been fighting for Russian forces in Ukraine since 2014.
The unit shared photographs from the school visit in the city's Kirovsky district, where Milchakov addressed students.
The programme deploys veterans from the Ukraine conflict to educational institutions across Russia, with authorities presenting it as a method for reintegrating returning soldiers into civilian life.
Alexey Milchakov has been fighting for Russian forces in Ukraine since 2014
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The investigative team Systema from RFE/RL identified the school, which posted that Rusich members had visited to discuss the war and encourage children to write letters to troops.
Milchakov first gained widespread attention in 2011 when, aged 20, he recorded himself torturing, dismembering and consuming a puppy before publishing the footage online.
At the time, he posted on VKontakte, the Russian social media platform, calling for the killing of "homeless people, puppies and children".
He has previously described himself openly as a Nazi and named Adolf Hitler as his inspiration.
The Russian has previously described himself openly as a Nazi and named Adolf Hitler as his inspiration
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During his time as a volunteer fighter in the 2014 Donbas conflict, Milchakov boasted about desecrating the corpses of slain Ukrainian soldiers.
His activities later extended to Syria, where he was connected to atrocities committed alongside the Wagner Group in 2017, before rejoining the fighting in Ukraine when the full-scale invasion commenced.
Following the invasion, Milchakov published what he termed an "instruction manual" for "disposing" of Ukrainian prisoners of war, which encouraged fighters to torture and murder captives before extracting money from relatives in exchange for information about their bodies.
In November 2025, Rusich publicly launched a "contest" offering cryptocurrency rewards to fighters who submitted photographs of themselves executing Ukrainian prisoners.
Despite this documented history, the St Petersburg school presented Milchakov with a certificate of gratitude following his visit.
The document, photographed and shared by Rusich, praised his "contribution to civic and patriotic education for conducting a Lesson in Courage at a high level."
The paramilitary group frequently publishes images of killed Ukrainian soldiers on its social media channels.
Since 2022, Russian education has undergone extensive reforms aimed at embedding pro-Kremlin messaging and military culture throughout schools.
Vladimir Putin faces accusations of exploiting the education system to instil hostility towards Western nations
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Pupils as young as seven have received instruction in assembling machine guns, whilst teenagers aged 13 and older have been trained in operating combat drones, military regulations and handling Kalashnikov rifles.
Vladimir Putin faces accusations of exploiting the education system to instil reverence for the armed forces and hostility towards Western nations, whilst preparing young people for potential military service.
Funding for school technology and children's recreational and wellness initiatives has been slashed dramatically, with billions of roubles redirected towards "patriotic" education programmes.
Responding to coverage in independent Russian media, Rusich announced on Telegram that it would continue school visits "on a regular basis" and establish "camps" offering combat training to children and teenagers.
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