At a press conference in Kazakhstan on November 28, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that the Defense Ministry and the General Staff were actively studying the creation of a specialized drone service within the Russian armed forces, according to to a report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

A military blogger affiliated with the Russian Airborne Forces (VDV) noted that current Russian drone units operate unofficially within other military units, often multi-tasking with their formal roles, such as conducting assaults or handling medical and defense functions. ‘engineering.

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A person close to the Kremlin revealed that the implementation of this new drone service could take six months to a year. The process involves multiple reforms, such as the expansion of educational programs, the registration of new military specialties and the integration of volunteer projects into the Defense Ministry bureaucracy.

However, according to the ISW, Russia’s attempt to centralize and formalize its informal drone units has already led to significant dysfunction within the military. The lack of a clear strategy for merging new technologies with established frameworks raises doubts about the effectiveness of this initiative.

With manpower shortages forcing tank crews, engineers, gunners and communications specialists to fight as infantry, drone operators will likely continue to be deployed in assault roles despite their skills specialized.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian armed forces continue to demonstrate the strategic advantage of a well-coordinated drone army. This year, Ukraine is expected to receive 1.8 billion euros from International Drone Coalitiona 20-country initiative led by Latvia and the United Kingdom to boost defense forces with advanced drones.

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