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This is reported by RBK-Ukraine referencing the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). This information comes from Kontrakty.UA.
According to analysts, the Russian Ministry of Defense continues to enhance efforts to establish Military Drone Forces following the official order from Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin to create a new type of military unit.
Specifically, it is already known that the Technical Council of the Russian Ministry of Defense has permitted small independent drone manufacturers and civil drone producers in Russia to develop more than 65 new variants and systems of drones, including:
- three reconnaissance drones;
- eight unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs);
- two electronic reconnaissance systems;
- 20 electronic warfare systems and four types of unmanned boats.
The Russian Ministry of Defense claims that these manufacturers produce up to 40,000 drone units and 5,000 electronic warfare products per month.
"The Russian Ministry of Defense has described the Drone Forces as a separate unit, aligning with Putin's previous description, indicating that the Drone Forces will likely centralize control over Russian drone operators under the Ministry of Defense rather than under Russian ground commanders," the report states.
Thus, ISW continues to assess that "this reorganization may impact the Russian tactical reconnaissance-strike complex and reduce interaction between assault drones and artillery."
As reported by RBK-Ukraine at the end of November, the Russian military is considering the establishment of a separate drone service. In this way, the Russian Ministry of Defense is attempting to catch up with the Ukrainian Drone Forces established in February 2024.
Recall that in early September, the Verkhovna Rada adopted amendments to the law "On the Armed Forces of Ukraine." A separate branch of forces, the Drone Forces, was created within the Armed Forces of Ukraine. By mid-September, President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a law that included the Drone Forces as distinct branches of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.