The Ukrainian Cabinet of Ministers has approved new rules allowing training weapons to be transferred to defense education facilities, including centers teaching the subject “Defense of Ukraine.”
The resolution updates procedures for reallocating military property, permitting deactivated or non-firing weapons to be sent from armed forces units to municipal schools and the Centers for Training Citizens for National Resistance.
Ukraine’s defense agency, which drafted the measure, said the changes align programs with national standards and provide a legal framework for operating specialized centers. The rules also set procedures for equipping these facilities with the necessary resources.
The ‘Defense of Ukraine’ Subject
Introduced in 2023, the Defense of Ukraine curriculum replaced the older “Defense of the Fatherland” course, which emphasized citizens’ constitutional duty to protect the country’s independence and territorial integrity.
The updated program, taught to 10th- and 11th-grade students, combines classroom lessons with hands-on training to foster national identity and develop practical skills such as first aid, survival, basic defense, information warfare, and firearms utility.
The curriculum is particularly significant amid Russia’s ongoing invasion, aiming to prepare young people for real-world security challenges.
As of September 2025, more than 900 Defense of Ukraine centers were verified to be operational nationwide, with veterans expected to join as instructors under the curriculum in the near future.
Increased Class Hours
Last June 2025, the Ministry of Education and Science greenlit changes to Kyiv’s Standard Educational Program for secondary schools, effective in the 2025 to 2026 academic year.
The update sets Defense of Ukraine at two mandatory hours per week, up from the previous 1.5 to 2 hours, giving students more time for practical training at regional centers and less time in lectures.
