Russia is building up its drone army and copying Ukraine’s decision — Syrsky

Russia plans to significantly increase the production of FPV drones in 2026, while simultaneously increasing the number of units to combat Ukrainian drones. At the same time, the Ukrainian Defense Forces continue to maintain their superiority in the use of FPV drones and increase the effectiveness of strikes against the enemy.

This was announced by the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrsky, following the results of a monthly meeting on the development of unmanned systems.

According to Syrsky, Ukrainian military intelligence has reported on Russia’s large-scale plans in the field of unmanned systems. In particular, in 2026, the aggressor country plans to produce 7.3 million FPV drones and 7.8 million combat units for UAVs of various types.

In addition, the Russian army is increasing the supply of attack drones with turbojet engines to the troops. The enemy is also urgently deploying additional forces to counter Ukrainian drones – four more regiments, 24 divisions and 162 batteries. At the same time, the Russian Federation is strengthening echeloned air cover of Moscow and the Krasnodar Territory.

“In fact, the Russians are scaling their BfS troops, copying Ukrainian solutions — technical, tactical, and organizational,” Syrsky noted.

At the same time, according to the Commander-in-Chief, Ukraine continues to maintain the initiative in the field of drones. He emphasized that the advantage of the Defense Forces in FPV drones is growing, and for the fifth month in a row, Ukrainian unmanned systems units have neutralized more occupiers than Russia mobilizes for its army.

In April alone, Ukrainian drone operators completed almost 357,000 combat missions and hit over 160,700 verified targets. Over 7,700 enemy UAV positions were also suppressed, and 424 enemy targets were hit by Middle Strike weapons at distances from 20 to 250 kilometers.

Separately, Syrsky drew attention to the role of ground robotic complexes in modern warfare. According to him, such systems are already used not only for combat missions, but also for the evacuation of the wounded, the installation of minefields and logistics. Currently, they provide over 60% of transportation in the interests of the troops.

During the meeting, the use of interceptor drones to cover Ukrainian infantry was also discussed, and key tasks included strengthening electronic warfare and increasing the number of ground-based robotic EW platforms.

“War is constantly changing. The enemy adapts, looking for new ways to counter our strengths. Therefore, we must act faster, more flexibly, and more technologically,” Syrsky concluded.

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