PUTIN'S TINY ARMY
Some parents would gasp at the thought of their children playing with a toy gun, but these Russian children are actually encouraged to take up real arms. Military sports club, ‘Berkut’, (meaning golden eagle), trains up tiny Vlads and Boris’, who dream of joining the elite units of the Russian army and fighting under the command of President Vladimir Putin. Pictured on their website brandishing a hand gun, is a young boy, dressed in military fatigues with his finger over the trigger. Children as young a five are sent on forced marches, given battlefield training, taught hand to hand combat, and how to use military equipment. 12 year olds are also taught to fire Kalashnikov assault rifles and other small arms. During the clubs regular camps some children are given the opportunity to parachute jump during their paratrooper training. The club based in Zhukovsky, Russia, claims to provide military training designed to develop the younger generation of the “motherland” - a term synonymous with the former Soviet Union and the communist rule of the last century.
Other great stories
PHILEAS FROG: KERMIT'S WORLD TRAVELS CONTINUE PREV
A Kermit the Frog toy made famous by travelling the world is still globehopping, having racked up an incredible 420,000 kilometres to some of the world's furthest flung places .
HOLY COW! DARING FARMERS IN THRILLING CATTLE RACE
An Indonesian farmer is dragged through muddy water as he clings to the tails of two charging cows .
LOVE RAT FIANCE CHEATED WITH MY MUM
When Kylie Holgate discovered her fiancé was having an affair, her world came crashing down .
HUNGRY TURTLE ATTRACTS AN AUDIENCE
SURROUNDED by divers, a hungry green sea turtle enjoys being the centre of attention .
MAN CONTINUES HIS WORLD MAP BACK TATTOO
An American man continues on his mission to document his journey around the globe by completing a world map tattoo on his back .
WOMAN NEARLY DIED AFTER INFECTED ECZEMA WOUND LED TO DEADLY FLESH-EATING BUG THAT ATE A HOLE IN HER ARM
A woman was left fighting for her life after an eczema wound became infected and caused a deadly flesh-eating bug to ravish a hole in her arm .
WORLD’S MOST BLINGED-OUT CAR
FEAST your eyes on the £500K coin-covered Range Rover that could be the world’s most blinged-out car .
MESMERIZING STAR TRAILS
MESMERIZING night sky photographs offer a spellbinding look at the stars .
PAWS FOR THOUGHT: POLAR BEAR RELAXES IN SNOW
STARING intently into the camera, a polar bear appears to be lost in thought while relaxing in the snow .
EYE-CATCHING TRIBAL HAIRSTYLES
BRAIDED, sculpted and beaded, these are the eye-catching hairstyles worn by the tribal women of Angola .
WAVES FROZEN IN TIME
Beautiful turquoise waves rise and fall in a series of stunning images taken along the coastline of south-eastern Australia .