When Ilya Rusinov returned to the Russian work force after rehabilitating a vertebra damaged in the Ukraine warye7, his first job was teaching in a school.

But he had also launched a side project, a patriotic club he called Zveno, or “Squad,” that provides military training for different age groups, including teenagers. After struggling at first, it found growing demand for its training sessions, including from instructors at similar patriotic organizations. Mr. Rusinov eventually left his teaching job to help run Zveno full time.

Calls for school crackdowns have mounted with reports of cyberbullying among adolescents and studies indicating that smartphones, which offer round-the-clock distraction and social media access, have hindered academic instruction and the mental health of children.

Overall, violent crime fell 3 percent and property crime fell 2.6 percent in 2023, with burglaries down 7.6 percent and larceny down 4.4 percent. Car thefts, though,PHL63 continue to be an exception, rising more than 12 percent from the year before.

Almost three years after a mortar shell blew a hole in his back, Mr. Rusinov, who fought as part of the Wagner mercenary group, is one of a growing group of veterans whom Russian officials claim are being rewarded with an enhanced standing in society — speaking at public events, school lectures and with local news outlets.

It is part of the Kremlin’s very public effort to elevate veterans to leadership positions, offering business opportunities and some forgiveness on loans, all while priming society to accept and appreciate them.

Today, veterans address school groups as young as kindergarten age and give basic weapons training to students, which since September is a mandatory part of every curriculum starting in eighth grade. Billboards proclaiming the heroism of soldiers line major roads, and the Kremlin has made a show of appointing veterans to top jobs.

An hourlong daytime TV show on state-owned Rossiya 1 called “Ours” features breathless coverage of veterans. Some give live performances of frontline ballads, others tell of their “heroism” on the front.

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