BZVP cadets enter their first battle in virtual reality
Illustrative photo: General Staff

While undergoing basic combined arms training (BZVP), recruits get to know what a battle might look like in virtual reality. This was stated by Yevhen, an instructor at one of the Ground Forces training centers, in a comment for LIGA.net for the analysis "It was worse at BZVP". We explain how the training of mobilized people has changed and what it has yielded."

The training film is called "The First Battle." In it, a cadet finds himself in a trench during combat in virtual reality and feels like he's in the body of an actor.

"The key thing: this educational video features real, living people. This is not some generated image. It was filmed so spectacularly that you won't understand whether his leg was really torn off or if it's some kind of montage and graphics. You seem to be in a virtual reality, but it's really real," said Yevhen.

According to him, this form of training gives cadets some understanding of what combat operations are.

"I can't say that they lose consciousness from the impressions. Many treat it like a trip to the movies. But there is also a large part of the cadets for whom it resonates, and they understand that in a month and a half they may find themselves on the front line and make decisions to save their lives and the lives of their comrades," the instructor shared.

After the foundations of combat experience have been laid, instructors continue practical training so that by the end of the BZVP, the recruit has a full set of basic skills that he needs.