Russia is increasingly centralizing the procurement of drones for its unmanned aerial systems (UAS) troops, which will likely "have both positive and negative consequences." This is reported by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), informs UNN.
Details
It is noted that, according to one Russian milblogger, there is a "new rule" according to which the Department of Advanced Interdepartmental Research and Special Projects of the Russian Ministry of Defense will no longer issue drones to all frontline units, but will supply drones only to UAS, and that the commander of the department, Lieutenant Colonel Yuriy Vaganov, will personally control the distribution.
The milblogger accused Vaganov of involvement in military corruption and stated that the new rule would create a "drone hunger" in regular units.
According to their estimates, the new rule will be consistent with Russia's ongoing efforts to centralize informal specialized drone units and its drone procurement and distribution system.
"Centralized control over drone distribution may allow Russian forces to concentrate drones more and supply more trained personnel to specific areas of the front, but it may also hinder their ability to innovate quickly. This new system is likely to create a state monopoly on procurement, which will contribute to greater corruption and undermine the volunteer procurement movement," ISW predicts.
Recall
In March, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Russia is reducing missile production and redirecting funds to mass drone production. According to him, today's Russian attack on Ukraine involves 350-500 drones, and Russia plans to increase this to 1000 drones per day.