Russia plans to expand UAV units to a force of 168,000 troops by year's end, Ukraine's drone commander says

Robert "Magyar" Brovdi, Commander of Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces, has said Russia has increased the number of troops in drone units by 28,000 over the past four months and could raise the figure to 168,000 by the end of the year.

Source: Brovdi in an interview with Ukrainska Pravda

Details: Brovdi said that as of 1 April, 100,000 personnel in Russia's armed forces were assigned to unmanned systems tasks, increasing to 114,000 by early May.

Quote: "At the turn of 2025-2026 (i.e. around New Year 2026), they had 86,000. That means their numbers grew by 28,000 over four months. Some of these figures may be false, inflated or otherwise inaccurate, but the overall trend suggests growth at this estimated pace.

By the end of the year, they plan to increase the unmanned component of their armed forces to 168,000 personnel."

More details: Brovdi said Moscow's projected annual target could aim at 200,000 troops in UAV units, but added that at the current pace, Russia would reach 168,000.

Background: In the same interview, Brovdi has said Russia is effectively copying the Ukrainian drone force model.

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