Russia moves to establish drone forces after Ukraine’s success
Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belosov in newly created UAV center, October 2024 (Photo: Russia's Defense Ministry)
The Russian army has likely already formed its first separate drone warfare regiment after Ukraine became the first country in the world to successfully establish dedicated Drone Forces, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) wrote on Jan. 28.
The formation of this regiment aligns with recent efforts by Russia’s Defense Ministry to consolidate drone operations under a centralized structure, integrating informal UAV units into a more organized force.
Ukraine’s pioneering role in drone warfare
Ukraine established its own Drone Forces in early 2024, making it the world’s first military branch dedicated to systematically using UAVs, ground robotics, and naval drones for a broad range of missions.
Russia’s first drone regiment
Ukrainian Victory Drones volunteer initiative indicated that Russia had already finalized the creation of the 7th Separate Reconnaissance and Strike Drone Regiment within the Central Military District (CMD) by April 2024. The regiment reportedly consists of 1,342 personnel and was 94% operational at that time.
The unit, trained at the 473rd Training Center of the CMD, is structured into:
- A command unit
- Three strike drone battalions
- Reconnaissance units
- Logistics support units, including communications, medical, and repair divisions.
The report suggests that Russia plans to organize 102 subunits within the regiment, including 41 strike and 61 reconnaissance drone units. Several Russian volunteer groups began fundraising for the regiment in July 2024, hinting that it has been deployed to occupied territories in Zaporizhzhya Oblast.
Expanding drone capabilities
Throughout fall 2024, Russian military bloggers claimed that the Defense Ministry began reorganizing informal drone groups and integrating specialists like engineers, medics, and communications personnel into “combined technical battalions.”
In October 2024, Russia’s Rubicon Center for Advanced UAV Technologies announced the formation of additional drone units, and Defense Minister Andrey Belousov later confirmed that Russia will fully establish its Drone Forces by Q3 2025.
Future implications
Polish independent defense analyst Konrad Muzyka believes these developments indicate that Russia will expand drone regiments across multiple military districts in the future. If its MoD successfully centralizes its UAV procurement and integrates these forces effectively, Russian troops will significantly improve their drone-supported battlefield operations.
However, ISW analysts caution that the success of these efforts will depend on whether the Russian military can effectively implement the necessary structural reforms and secure sufficient resources.
Will you support Ukraine’s free press?
Dear reader, as all news organizations, we must balance the pressures of delivering timely, accurate, and relevant stories with requirements to fund our business operations.
As a Ukrainian-based media, we also have another responsibility – to amplify Ukraine’s voice to the world during the crucial moment of its existence as a political nation.
It’s the support of our readers that lets us continue doing our job. We keep our essential reporting free because we believe in our ultimate purpose: an independent, democratic Ukraine.
If you’re willing to support Ukraine, consider subscribing to our Patreon starting from 5$ per month. We are immensely grateful.
Please help us continue fighting Russian propaganda.
Truth can be hard to tell from fiction these days. Every viewpoint has its audience of backers and supporters, no matter how absurd.
If conscious disinformation is reinforced by state propaganda apparatus and budget, its outcomes may become deadly.
There is no solution to this, other than independent, honest, and accurate reporting.
We remain committed to empowering the Ukrainian voice to push against the muck. If you’re willing to stand up for the truth – consider supporting us on Patreon starting from 5$ per month. Thank you very much.
Will you help tell Ukraine’s story to the world?
Twenty years ago, most people hadn’t even heard of Ukraine. Today, the country is on everyone’s lips and everyone’s headlines. War pushed us on the front page. But there are many other things we do that we are proud of – from music and culture to technology.
We need your help to tell the world Ukrainian story of resilience, joy, and survival. If you’re willing to back our effort, consider supporting us on Patreon starting from 5$ per month. We are immensely grateful.
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google News
