Russian drone troops nearly fully operational – deputy commander
Russia’s dedicated military drone combat arm is now fully integrated into the army and is close to full formation, according to its deputy commander.
The creation of the Unmanned Systems Troops (UST) was ordered in December 2024 by Defense Minister Andrey Belousov, who cited lessons learned from the Ukraine conflict and emphasized the need to consolidate Russia’s growing expertise in drone warfare.
In an interview with Komsomolskaya Pravda published on Tuesday, Colonel Sergey Ishtuganov said the force has significantly progressed and now plays a key role in the successes of the armed forces.
“We have formed regiments, battalions, and other units as ordered,” he said. “Their operations follow a unified plan and are coordinated with the actions of all other combat arms. The process of expanding existing formations and creating new ones is ongoing.”
The Russian Defense Ministry initially said the formation of the UST may be complete in the third quarter of 2025. The flagship unit within the new arms, the Rubicon center, recently reported its 10,000th successful combat mission.
Ishtuganov added that a dedicated academy for training drone personnel was in the works. Related courses are already being taught at both military and civilian institutions across the country.
While weaponized civilian drones have been used in warfare before, the Russia-Ukraine conflict has dramatically accelerated innovation in this domain. Moscow has leveraged its industrial base for mass production of drones.
President Vladimir Putin said in April that Russian troops received over 1.5 million unmanned systems of various types in 2024, describing them as a decisive element in ensuring military prowess.
