Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine’s Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrsky said on Friday, May 8, that Russia plans to produce more than 7 million FPV drones in 2026, marking a major expansion of its drone capabilities.
According to Syrsky’s Telegram post, Moscow aims to manufacture 7.3 million FPV drones and 7.8 million warheads for various UAV types.
JOIN US ON TELEGRAM
Follow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.
Russia scales drone warfare
Syrsky said Russia is increasing the deployment of strike drones, including jet-powered systems, while expanding units dedicated to countering Ukrainian drones.
He added that Russian forces are also strengthening air defenses around Moscow and in the Krasnodar region, while increasingly adopting tactics and technologies first developed by Ukraine.
But, Ukraine maintains drone advantage
Despite Russia’s escalation, Ukraine continues to hold the initiative in drone warfare, Syrsky said.
Since December, Ukrainian drone units have eliminated more Russian troops each month than Moscow has been able to mobilize, he added.
Syrsky said Ukrainian drone systems carried out nearly 357,000 combat missions in April, striking over 160,000 targets – a 2 percent increase from March.
He added that drones are now responsible for more than 60 percent of battlefield logistics tasks, including evacuating the wounded and laying minefields.
In late March, Syrsky said Russian casualties had risen significantly as fighting intensified with changing weather conditions.
He shared that the number of daily combat engagements had exceeded 200 for several consecutive days. The AFU chief attributed the escalation to seasonal shifts, saying Russian forces had increased pressure across multiple frontline sectors.
Zelensky Says Ukraine Seeking US License to Produce Anti-Ballistic Missiles
You can also highlight the text and press Ctrl + Enter
