Russia Plans to Increase Its Drone Forces to 165,500 by the End of 2026, Says Syrsky

During a meeting of the General Staff on April 9, 2026, Commander of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrsky announced that Russia is planning a significant increase in its drone forces. According to him, the number of these forces will rise by approximately 60 percent, reaching 165,500 units by the end of 2026.

Syrsky noted that data from Ukrainian intelligence indicates that Russia currently possesses 101,000 drone systems. In his Facebook post, he emphasized that the adversary is not standing still and is actively developing its military capabilities.

In the current phase of the war, where drones dominate the battlefield, Ukraine and Russia are competing to expand their drone forces. Both sides are striving to increase personnel numbers and develop long-range drones and ground robotic systems in order to gain an advantage on the battlefield.

The Commander of the Armed Forces of Ukraine stressed that Ukrainian military units are preventing Russia from launching a large-scale offensive, and drone units are one of the key factors that, according to him, are currently delivering the most significant and effective strikes against the enemy.

Syrsky also claimed that over the past four months, from December 2025 to March 2026, Ukrainian drone units inflicted more losses on Russian troops than Moscow was able to recruit new soldiers into its ranks. He did not specify a particular figure but noted that the losses among Russian personnel caused by Ukrainian drone forces increased by nearly 30 percent.

"We continue to break the enemy's backbone, saving the lives of Ukrainian soldiers," Syrsky remarked, commenting on the operations of the drone forces.

More than a year after the establishment of drone forces in Ukraine, which specialize in warfare using drones and robotics, Russia also formed its own units in November 2025.

"Operational regiments and other units have been formed," stated Sergey Ishtyuganov, deputy head of the new unit, in an interview with the newspaper 'Komsomolskaya Pravda.'