According to statements by the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), Oleksandr Syrskyi, Russia is not lagging behind Ukraine in the field of drones and even holds an advantage in some directions. This situation is prompting Ukraine to more rapidly seek its own technological and operational solutions to combat Russian drones.
Redaksiya reports that according to Syrskyi, Russia plans to increase the number of its drone forces by 79,000 personnel in 2026. In total, Russia intends to reach 165,000 personnel in its drone forces. To this end, Russia is also adopting its own drone carriers into its armament and increasing their production. Furthermore, the Russian army is testing the jet-powered "Geran-4" and "Geran-5" drones in combat operations.
According to Syrskyi, this situation is prompting Ukraine to more rapidly seek its own revolutionary technological and operational solutions to combat Russian UAVs. Ukraine is searching for its own solutions to combat Russian UAVs. Ukraine is also increasing the drone component of its assault forces. Additional unmanned systems battalions will be included in the штаты (staffing) of individual assault regiments. Furthermore, they continue to strengthen the composition of unmanned systems in the brigades of territorial defense forces.
It was previously reported that Russia has begun actively expanding the launch pad for "Shahed" type strike UAVs at the "Shatalovo" airfield in the Smolensk region. Analysts note that the number of launch points is increasing against the backdrop of Russia's growing "Shahed" production capabilities. Additionally, Russia is boasting about its new FPV drone mothership, an unmanned boat of the "Knyaz Vandal Novogorodski" (KVK) type. As noted by military observer Aleksandr Kovalenko, such a boat poses a threat to Ukrainian rivers and the Black Sea coast.