The Ministry of Defense has de facto admitted the failure of… (войско · минобороны · беспилотный)
The Ministry of Defense has de facto admitted the failure of recruitment into unmanned drone units. On July 17, a meeting of the Ministry's Collegium took place, during which Deputy Minister of Defense Alexey Krivoruchko stated that more than 8,000 specialists for the Unmanned Drone Forces were prepared in the first half of 2026.
Consensus
- The Ministry of Defense of Russia failed to meet its recruitment target for unmanned warfare units in the first half of 2026.
- In the first half of 2026, more than 8,000 specialists were prepared for unmanned warfare units according to official data.
- The planned number of personnel to be recruited by the end of 2026 was 78,000.
- The actual number of trained specialists achieved in the first half of 2026 represented approximately one-quarter of the target.
- The Ministry of Defense plans to fill vacancies through transfers from existing military units.
Points of divergence
- The quality of contract soldiers recruited from the streets is declining, with many being men over 50 years old and unsuitable for drone operator roles. — tg_astrapress
- Students are refusing contracts due to fears of deployment to assault units and de facto indefinite service. — novaya_eu
- The category of contract soldiers transferred from other units does not require additional training if they are already drone operators. — tvrain
Coverage (4 sources)
- Ministry of Defense Failed to Recruit for Drone Units — CIT — ASTRA
- Ministry of Defense Failed to Meet Plans for Drone Troop Recruitment — Новая газета Европа
- Ministry of Defense Admits Failure in Recruitment for Drone Units — Дождь
- Ministry of Defense Admits Failure in Recruitment for Drone Units — Дождь (Telegram)