Unmanned aerial systems (UAS) are now a key military component on the frontlines in Ukraine. Drones and other unmanned systems were first employed in the early days of the ongoing war, but this month, Russia announced that it had created a new branch of its armed forces to oversee its drone doctrine and operations.
According to a report from Russian state news agency TASS, the “Unmanned Systems Forces” is already “manned and fully operational,” with Colonel Sergey Ishtuganov named as the unit’s deputy head.
About Russia’s New Drone Force
Last December, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the Ministry of Defense to establish a dedicated branch for drone warfare. At the time, Russian Minister of Defense Andrey Belousov said that the program would be operational by the third quarter of this year. However, as with many military programs, the creation of a dedicated drone force ran behind schedule. The size of the Kremlin’s new force has not been disclosed, but Russian leadership has still touted its creation—even as it isn’t entirely clear what the force will do.
“The Unmanned Systems Forces of the Russian Armed Forces have been established,” Ishtuganov said in an interview with the Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper. “The structure of this new branch of the armed forces has been determined, the head of the Unmanned Systems Forces has been appointed, and military administration units have been created at all levels. Operational regiments and other units have been formed. Combat work of the unmanned systems units is being carried out following a single plan and in cooperation with other units in battlegroups.”
Ukraine Already Had Its Own Dedicated Drone Unit
Russia’s new drone unit may be a response to Ukraine’s success with unmanned systems. In September 2024, Kyiv established its own Unmanned System Force (USF) as a branch of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, becoming the first nation to create a separate military branch focused solely on unmanned systems.
Although Russia has yet to indicate what types of drones its newly established force will oversee, the Ukrainian USF is the branch of the military responsible for drone warfare operations in the air, on land, and at sea.
“This branch has proven itself one of the most effective on the front lines,” the Kyiv Post reported.
That explains why Kyiv has also called for the Ukrainian USF to double in size, from its current 15,000 personnel to at least 30,000 by early 2026. Its personnel already include pilots, maintenance crew, and support staff. The expansion would enable the Ukrainian military to expand the USF’s coverage along the entire front line.
The USF has actively recruited volunteers from the civilian sector, as well as personnel from other units, including reservists, wounded troops, and even those who may have deserted their units.
“You are needed here, and right now. It’s time to quit running away from the army, it’s time for you to go fly and drone strike the occupier,” said Major Robert “Madyar” Brovdi, in a statement to the media last month.
Brovdi, the commander of the USF, also said that the force isn’t just defending Ukrainian territory but is actively taking the fight to Russia by inflicting casualties on them.
Drones Have Defined the Ukraine War
Drones have accounted for destroying upwards of 70 percent of Russia’s tanks, and upwards of 40 bombers or one-third of Russia’s strategic bomber fleet were destroyed in the June 2025 Operation Spiderweb drone strikes on remote Russian airbases.
USF drones have also routinely carried out attacks on Russian infrastructure, including its oil refineries. “Drones have become the main means for prosecuting war. We are cutting down worms [a rude Ukrainian term for Russian soldiers] in industrial quantities. Their weapons have no chance. Their oil refineries are burning regularly,” added Brovdi, a volunteer from western Ukraine. Brovdi, who has no formal military education, volunteered as a private, but later started a drone team financed by personal savings.
In total, more than 402,000 sorties have been carried out by drones by the USF, with half of them being strike missions and the rest being reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering operations.
“We are only two percent of the AFU,” Brovdi told The Kyiv Post last month. “But every third verified Russian combat loss was destroyed by the USF.”
World War I saw the introduction of the tank, World War II ushered in the era of the aircraft carrier, and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine could be described as the first drone war.
About the Author: Peter Suciu
Peter Suciu has contributed over 3,200 published pieces to more than four dozen magazines and websites over a 30-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a contributing writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].
Image: Shutterstock / Anelo.
