Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief discloses size of Russian offensive force in Ukraine
Photo: Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi (facebook.com/CinCAFofUkraine)
The total size of Russia’s offensive grouping on the territory of Ukraine is 721,300 personnel, according to an interview with Ukraine’s Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi with The Times.
The total size of Russia’s offensive grouping on the territory of Ukraine currently amounts to 721,300 personnel, said Oleksandr Syrskyi.
Russia is currently deploying 6,000–7,000 FPV drones per day on the battlefield. Moscow plans to increase this figure to 33,000. Syrskyi acknowledged that this sounds unrealistic, but noted that such a plan does exist.
At the same time, Ukraine is expanding its own drone capabilities. According to the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, in the first four months of 2026, the country purchased 300% more medium-range strike drones than during the entire year of 2025. By the end of the year, Ukraine plans to independently produce 7 million drones, more than 65% of which will be tactical FPV systems.
Overall, the number of FPV kamikaze drones in Ukraine has already exceeded the number of Russian troops on its territory.
The expansion of strike capabilities has allowed Ukraine to surpass Russia: the Defense Forces now conduct nearly twice as many FPV sorties per day as the opposing side.
"It is absolutely essential to use cutting-edge technology — it gives you an advantage. We now outnumber the enemy in the use of FPV drones by between 1.7 to 1 (and) 2 to 1," Syrskyi said.
He also added that the vast majority of Russian losses are caused by drone strikes, although the share of casualties from specific types of weapons varies depending on weather conditions and other factors.
In June 2025, RBC-Ukraine reported that the number of FPV drones in the Armed Forces of Ukraine had already exceeded comparable enemy figures.
In March 2026, Syrskyi stated that Russia aims to expand its drone forces to 101,000 personnel in order to regain the initiative on the front line.
Ultimately, two weeks ago, RBC-Ukraine reported that the Armed Forces of Ukraine already outmatch the enemy in FPV drones at a ratio of 1.5 to 1, and this advantage continues to grow.
