A recent decree from Russian President Vladimir Putin has set an ambitious target for the nation’s military: train 1.5 million drone operators within the next five years as part of the “Strategy for the Development of Unmanned Aviation Through 2035.”
Russia boasts: FPV drone operator has killed 300+ fighters
Photo by Sergey Lantyukhov
Signed into action in late 2024, this directive aims to transform Russia’s armed forces by prioritizing unmanned aerial systems, a move that could see the number of drone operators surpass the country’s current active-duty personnel.
The strategy, unveiled by the Kremlin, underscores Russia’s intent to adapt to modern warfare, where drones have proven decisive on battlefields like Ukraine. With the timeline set to conclude by 2030, questions linger about the feasibility of this goal and what it means for Russia’s military structure, its economy, and the global balance of power.
The announcement marks a significant shift in military planning for a nation with a storied history of conventional warfare. Russia’s active armed forces currently stand at approximately 1 million personnel, according to estimates from organizations like Global Firepower, which tracks military strengths worldwide. This figure encompasses all branches—ground forces, air forces, navy, and strategic missile units.
By comparison, the 1.5 million drone operators envisioned by Putin’s decree would exceed this total, suggesting a reimagining of what constitutes a soldier in the 21st century. Analysts note that achieving this number could involve not just professional troops but also reservists, contractors, or even civilians trained specifically for drone operations.
The decree itself offers little detail on how these operators will be recruited or deployed, leaving room for speculation about the scale and scope of the initiative.
Drones have become a cornerstone of modern combat, a reality driven home by their widespread use in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Both Russian and Ukrainian forces have relied heavily on unmanned systems for reconnaissance, precision strikes, and even logistics, with small, inexpensive drones altering the dynamics of ground warfare.
“The war in Ukraine has shown that drones can level the playing field,” said Michael Kofman, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, in a recent interview. “They’re cheap, effective, and can be operated by people with minimal training. Russia’s push to scale up its drone operators reflects that lesson.”
The Kremlin’s strategy appears to build on this experience, aiming to create a force capable of overwhelming adversaries through sheer numbers and technological adaptability.
To put the 1.5 million figure in perspective, Russia’s ground forces, which include infantry, tank units, and artillery, are estimated to number around 600,000, based on extrapolations from open-source data and past statements from the Russian Ministry of Defense.
Infantry alone likely accounts for 300,000 to 420,000 of these troops, depending on how mechanized and specialized the remaining units are. If the drone operator target is met, it would mean that Russia could have three to five times more personnel dedicated to unmanned systems than it currently has infantry soldiers—a striking departure from traditional military ratios.
This disparity hints at a future where human soldiers on the ground play a secondary role to remote operators commanding swarms of drones from afar.
The logistical challenges of this plan are daunting. Training 1.5 million operators in five years would require a massive expansion of educational facilities, simulators, and recruitment pipelines.
A single operator might need weeks or months to master the basics of drone piloting, depending on the complexity of the systems involved, from small reconnaissance quadcopters to larger strike drones like the Orion or Lancet models Russia has deployed in Ukraine.
“You’re talking about an industrial-scale effort,” said Samuel Bendett, an expert on Russian military technology at the Center for Naval Analyses. “It’s not just about training people—it’s about producing millions of drones, maintaining them, and integrating them into a coherent strategy. The resources required are staggering.”
Russia’s defense industry would need to keep pace, ramping up production to supply this new army of operators. In recent years, the country has made strides in developing its own drone technology, moving away from reliance on foreign components hampered by Western sanctions.
Companies like ZALA Aero and Kronstadt have emerged as key players, producing models that have seen combat testing. Still, scaling production to equip 1.5 million operators could strain an economy already stretched by war and international isolation.
The cost of drones varies widely—commercial models can be had for a few hundred dollars, while military-grade systems run into the tens or hundreds of thousands—but even at the low end, the price tag would reach billions.
Historical parallels offer some context for this audacious goal. During World War II, the Soviet Union mobilized millions of citizens into its armed forces, leveraging its vast population to overwhelm adversaries through sheer numbers.
Today, with a population of about 144 million, Russia has a smaller pool to draw from, but the focus on drones could allow it to maximize impact without putting as many lives directly in harm’s way.
The Cold War era also saw the Soviet Union invest heavily in emerging technologies like missiles and satellites, often outpacing rivals in specific domains. Putin’s drone strategy might echo this approach, betting that a technological leap could offset other weaknesses in military or economic power.
Comparisons with other nations highlight the uniqueness of Russia’s plan. The United States, with its advanced drone program, operates thousands of unmanned systems, including high-end models like the MQ-9 Reaper.
Yet its operator pool is far smaller, numbering in the thousands rather than millions, reflecting a focus on quality over quantity. “The U.S. relies on highly trained pilots and complex systems,” noted Emily Harding, a defense expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “Russia seems to be going for mass—flooding the battlefield with operators and drones, even if they’re less sophisticated.”
China, another drone powerhouse, has invested heavily in both military and commercial unmanned systems, but its operator numbers remain opaque, likely in the tens or hundreds of thousands at most.
The implications of this strategy extend beyond Russia’s borders. A force of 1.5 million drone operators could reshape conflicts in Eastern Europe, the Arctic, or Central Asia, where Russia has strategic interests. NATO planners are already grappling with the rise of unmanned systems and a Russian drone army on this scale could force a reevaluation of defense priorities.
“It’s a wake-up call,” said a senior Pentagon official, speaking on condition of anonymity. “If they pull this off, it’s not just about numbers—it’s about how those drones change the way wars are fought.” Adversaries might respond by accelerating their own drone programs or developing countermeasures like electronic jamming or anti-drone lasers.
Public reaction within Russia remains muted, as state-controlled media has framed the decree as a forward-thinking move to secure the nation’s future. Independent voices, however, question whether the resources poured into drones might come at the expense of other pressing needs, like healthcare or infrastructure.
“The government loves big, flashy projects,” wrote Alexei Navalny’s team in a social media post before his death, a sentiment that resonates with critics of Kremlin spending. For now, the plan enjoys official backing, with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu reportedly tasked with overseeing its implementation.
The timeline adds urgency to the effort. With five years to train 1.5 million operators, Russia would need to onboard roughly 300,000 people annually—an average of 25,000 per month. This pace rivals major wartime mobilizations, though the skills required are narrower.
Early steps might include expanding military academies, contracting private firms, or even integrating drone training into civilian education systems, as some analysts speculate. The Kremlin has not disclosed funding details, but the 2025 defense budget, already ballooning due to the Ukraine conflict, will likely absorb much of the cost.
Whether Russia can achieve this vision remains uncertain. Past promises of military modernization—like the much-hyped Armata tank—have stumbled amid corruption, mismanagement, and economic pressures.
Drones, being cheaper and simpler to produce, might fare better, but the human element could prove the bottleneck. “Numbers are one thing,” Bendett cautioned. “Turning those numbers into an effective force is another.” Success would cement Russia’s status as a leader in unmanned warfare; failure could expose the limits of its ambitions.
As the world watches, the next few years will reveal whether Putin’s decree is a masterstroke or an overreach. The target of 1.5 million drone operators stands as a bold marker of intent, signaling a military betting heavily on the tools of tomorrow. For now, the Kremlin’s focus is clear: in the battles to come, the skies may matter more than the ground beneath them.
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