Baby-faced Russian children as young as 8 have been taught how to throw hand grenades and carry rifles at a bizarre summer camp designed to train up the next generation of Vladimir Putin’s military.

The twisted exercises, supervised by soldiers who have fought in Russia’s war in Ukraine, saw young children given real rifles or convincing replicas at a camp in the Rostov region, close to the Ukrainian border.

“We threw hand grenades and fired dummy shots,” 8-year-old participant Ivan Glushchenko said excitedly, when asked what his favorite part had been during the camp, which is open to both boys and girls.

Some 83 children — ages 8-17 — participated in last week’s activities, including a “route march” along the River Don involving running and crawling on their bellies across sand and shallow water while holding weapons and wearing camouflage uniforms.

“I nearly died!” one teenage girl said, while her friend said that the two had carried out the march “three times.”

Another young camper, David, said he had been able to test his own limits at the camp.

“It allowed me to find out how strong my willpower is,” he said.

One of the instructors, Alexander Shopin, was wounded while fighting in Ukraine, and is awaiting surgery.

Despite that, he brought his middle daughter along to take part in the camp.

“It’s not the first time I’ve taken part in this route march. I like it – to pass my experience to the children. You can see how a family is forged out of them,” Shopin said.

He insisted his daughter had enjoyed the camp, even though she found it difficult.

“To run as part of a team and not to let her friends down – this is what she likes,” he said.

The camp is part of Putin’s attempts to indoctrinate even young children to be prepared for eventual military service and instill patriotism in Russian youth.

“Patriotic training is very important. They don’t want to hang out in back alleyways. It’s much more fun for them here,” instructor Vladimir Yanenko said.

“Why I am here? It’s because I want to tie my future with military service. To serve my country and be loyal to my cause until the very end,” said one of the older boys, Anton.

Critics say the army-style training and in-school teaching in skills such as handling weapons and building military drones are forms of propaganda.

It follows reports that child labor is being used to build Russia’s military drones in factories in poorer parts of the country.

Mass production of Iranian-designed drones started last year in Tatarstan, central Russia.

Trade school students have been forced to work on the drone production line, while children have been recruited through science camps and competitions, according to independent Russian media.

With Post wires