Responding to the devastation to Russian aviation caused by Ukraine’s Operation Spiderweb, in which a massive percentage of his entire fleet of bombers were destroyed by Ukrainian drones earlier this month, Kremlin strongman Vladimir Putin announced on Thursday that a special branch of his armed forces will be dedicated to unmanned aerial systems.
“It is necessary to ensure their deployment as quickly and efficiently as possible,” Putin said at a meeting on the new state armaments program, according to state media TASS.
“We know how the enemy operates, the Russian autocrat said. “But overall, I do not believe that we are lagging behind in any way here. Moreover, I believe we have gained good experience to create this branch of the armed forces.”
“We have accumulated a great deal of experience to create this branch of the armed forces,” he added.
Putin was internationally embarrassed by Operation Spiderweb, in which Ukrainian drones, enhanced with artificial intelligence and launched from cargo trucks inside Russia, reportedly damaged or destroyed more than 40 aircraft, including Tu-95 and Tu-22 bombers and an A-50 airborne radar plane.
The estimated cost of the damage ranged from $2 billion to as high as $7 billion, Ukrainian officials said.
On Friday, Ukraine’s drones struck at least three fuel tanks at Engels airbase about 300 miles southeast of Moscow. Explosions were also reported at Dyagilevo airbase, about from the capital.
According to Andriy Kovalenko, head of Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation, drones also hit a the Progress defense plant in Michurinsk, in Russia’s Tambov region.
“Through facilities like this, Russia maintains serial production of Hyacinth, Msta, Tornado, and even components for Iskander missiles,” Kovalenko said.
Putin on Thursday also demanded that the new state armaments program must ensure the formation of a comprehensive air defense system. At the same meeting, he directed his military command to substantially enhance the combat capabilities of Russia’s ground forces as part of the new state armaments program, scheduled for 2027–2036.
Russia is already capable of manufacturing 2,700 Shahed-type drones and 2,500 decoys each month, compared with about one-quarter of that production a year ago, according to an assessment by Ukraine’s Main Directorate of Intelligence (HUR) this week.