Russia copies Ukraine's drone force model and boosts UAV numbers on front, Kyiv's drone commander says

Robert "Magyar" Brovdi, Commander of Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces, has said Russia is effectively copying the Ukrainian drone force model.

Source: Brovdi in an interview with Ukrainska Pravda

Details: Brovdi said Russia has some experience of its own in drone warfare, but is mostly adopting Ukrainian solutions and following a well-trodden path.

He added that Russia is establishing its own Unmanned Systems Forces group, which is expected to include most of its drone units. Brovdi believes this will not enable all its UAVs to be controlled remotely, but will improve command over such formations and allow Russia to increase centralised production of equipment and expand its numbers on the front.

As an example, he referred to the modernisation of Molniya drones. Brovdi said the Russians have reduced their cost to about US$1,500, increased the warhead to 10 kg and ordered 1.1 million of these drones.

Quote: "Do you know what this has already led to? An average brigade catches up to 60 Molniyas a day in its area of operations. They have become cheap; the state has intervened to control the price, placed a huge order and launched them into mass use.

With such numbers, you cannot catch them all. This is therefore a vivid example of a centralised approach by the enemy to equipping crews and supplying them with assets, which creates additional problems for us."

Details: Brovdi also pointed to Russia's mass use of Shahed-type drones, up to 300-400 a day, which he said demonstrates Russia's capabilities in terms of production, logistics and military operations.

He also mentioned the mobile electronic warfare systems used by Russian assault groups during attacks. Brovdi explained that Russian forces place several portable electronic warfare systems at their positions, making it harder for Ukrainian FPV drones to hit infantry. He said this is the result of a large manufacturing production order with which Russia is saturating the front.

Background:

• In early May, Brovdi reported that a negative ratio between recruitment and personnel losses in the Russian Armed Forces has been maintained for the fifth consecutive month, starting from December 2025.
• In January, Ukrainian Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said that one of Ukraine's strategic goals is to inflict up to 50,000 casualties on Russian forces each month, making the war unsustainable for Russia.

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