Zarnitsa (, All-Union Young Pioneer military sports game Zarnitsa) was a massive children's war game organized within the Young Pioneers organization. The game was an imitation of military actions (reconnaissance, battles, etc.) The word ''zarnitsa'' literally means "

heat lightning Heat lightning (not to be confused with dry thunderstorms, which are also often called dry lightning) is a misnomer used for the faint flashes of lightning on the horizon or other clouds from distant thunderstorm A thunderstorm ...

". The game's rules are based on capture the flag concept. Two teams each have a base with a flag on it. Their goal is to take over the opponent's flag and preserve their own. Every player has two shoulder straps that serve as health indicators and can be torn off by the opponents. Losing one indicates "wounded", losing two indicates "dead". The "wounded" players cannot run and should only walk. The "dead" players leave the game. It was intended for schoolchildren of 4–7 classes (10–13) years. A similar game, Orlyonok ( Орлёнок), was for older schoolchildren. The game was revived in modern Russia as "All-Russian military sports game Zarnitsa".Военнослужащие ВВО оценят подготовку команд Всероссийской военно-спортивной игры «Зарница»
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References

{{reflist Military education and training in the Soviet Union Vladimir Lenin All-Union Pioneer Organization Russian games Soviet games Capture the flag (game)