Russian army command rapidly forms unmanned systems forces - ISW
The Russian Armed Forces actively form unmanned systems units (Illustrative photo: Getty Images)
The Russian Armed Forces command has begun actively creating unmanned systems forces. However, the success of these efforts will depend on the willingness to carry out the necessary reforms and the availability of required resources, reports the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
The report states that the Russian military has likely formed a separate unmanned systems regiment at the military district level to enhance the capabilities of unmanned systems. The creation of this regiment aligns with the recent coordinated efforts by the Russian Ministry of Defense to establish Unmanned Systems Forces within the Russian Armed Forces and to centralize control over informal drone units.
The Ukrainian volunteer project Victory Drones, which trains drone operators, reported in April 2024 that the Russian military command is completing the formation of the 7th Separate Unmanned Systems Reconnaissance Strike Regiment within the Central Military District. The regiment consists of 1,342 personnel and was 94% staffed as of April 2024.
Victory Drones noted that the regiment is trained at the Russian 473rd District Training Center and consists of command staff, a strike drone battalion, three reconnaissance-strike drone battalions, and logistics units such as communications, medical, and repair teams.
The project also stated that the Russian army command plans to form 102 subordinate units within the 7th Separate Unmanned Systems Reconnaissance Strike Regiment of reconnaissance drone systems, with 41 being strike units and 61 being reconnaissance units.
Several Russian volunteer groups initiated crowdfunding for the 7th Separate Unmanned Systems Reconnaissance Strike Regiment starting in July 2024. This regiment operates in the occupied areas of the Zaporizhzhia region.
When will the formation of the drone army be completed
Russian military bloggers observed throughout the fall of 2024 that the Russian Ministry of Defense began reorganizing informal drone units and other specialists, such as communication officers, medics, and engineers, into unified technical battalions.
"The Russian MoD also announced that it formed an unspecified number of unmanned systems detachments by October 2024 via the Rubikon Center for Prospective Unmanned Technologies and announced the formation of five additional unmanned systems," the ISW report stated.
Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov later announced that the ministry would complete the formation of unmanned systems forces within the Russian Armed Forces by the third quarter of 2025.
According to military analyst Konrad Muzyka, recent organizational changes within the Russian Armed Forces and the formation of drone units suggest that similar regiments could emerge in other military districts in the future.
"Russian forces will likely gain augmented drone support capabilities should the Russian MoD successfully form these new unmanned systems regiments and centralize its procurement efforts under the Unmanned Systems Forces, although the success of this effort will depend on the Russian military's commitment to executing the necessary reforms and the availability of resources," the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) states.
The ISW report also cited statements from Russian presidential assistant and former Secretary of the Security Council Nikolai Patrushev. He mentioned the work of an unspecified Russian Navy center focused on developing new types of naval drones that will utilize artificial intelligence and machine learning.
Russia's efforts in the war against Ukraine
According to ISW, the Russian government is strengthening air defense forces to protect industrial sites in border regions from Ukrainian drone attacks.
It was also reported earlier that Iran might supply Russia with weapons to counter Ukrainian maritime drones.
