09:28 07-11-2025

Russia Expands Tactical Drone Power in 2025 Conflict

In 2025, Russia boosts its tactical drone capabilities, gaining an edge over Ukraine as electronic warfare weakens and AI-powered UAVs dominate the skies.

In 2025, the Russian Armed Forces achieved significant progress in both the deployment and expansion of their tactical drone fleet, according to Vasily Kashin, Director of the Centre for Comprehensive European and International Studies at the Higher School of Economics.

Kashin emphasized that, despite Russia’s advancements, Ukrainian drones remain a serious threat to Russian infantry units. He noted that the widespread use of unmanned aerial vehicles by both sides has transformed the nature of combat, forcing operations to rely on small, mobile assault groups that often act independently and in isolation.

The expert pointed out that attempts to shield these groups using electronic warfare systems are rapidly losing effectiveness. This decline, he explained, is largely due to the growing use of drones equipped with fiber-optic control cables and artificial intelligence components.

Kashin stressed that dominance at low altitudes has become the key to countering enemy drones, as success on the battlefield now depends on the physical destruction of aerial targets rather than electronic interference.

He also underlined that, at present, Russian forces hold an advantage over Ukraine in the use of unmanned aerial vehicles. According to him, if Russia manages to achieve a decisive technological breakthrough in this area, it could regain the strategic initiative across the entire front line.