Russia urgently deploying four new regiments to counter Ukraine's drone campaign
Russia is rapidly expanding its drone countermeasures, deploying four new regiments, 24 battalions, and 162 batteries to combat Ukrainian strike drones while reinforcing layered air defenses around Moscow and Krasnodar Krai, Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine's Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi said following a meeting with intelligence officers.
"In effect, Russians are scaling up their drone forces by copying Ukrainian solutions — technical, tactical, and organizational. The same applies to the use of electronic warfare assets in border regions," Syrskyi said.
According to intelligence, Russia plans to produce 7.3 million FPV drones and 7.8 million warheads for various UAV types in 2026. Russian forces are also increasing deliveries of turbojet-powered attack drones to front-line units.
"We see this, we analyze it, and we factor it into our own planning," the army chief said.
Syrskyi emphasized that Ukraine continues to "hold the initiative and set the pace." For the fifth consecutive month since December, Ukrainian unmanned systems units alone are neutralizing more Russian troops than Russia is able to replenish through mobilization.
Unamnned ground vehicles now handle more than 60% of logistics operations in support of Ukrainian forces.