The Kremlin’s drone army is around 87,000 strong whilst the British Army only has 74,270 trained soldiers, with just 25,720 reservists.
In total the Russian armed forces is more than 1.5 million dwarfing the size of the British Armed Forces.
In May 2025 the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) revealed their analyses of the size of the Russian drone force of 87,000 compared to the UK which only has 3,000 soldiers trained in drone warfare, making Britain vulnerable and weak.
Moscow has around 1,000 extra soldiers and hundreds more who serve in the Bars-Sarmat Unmanned Systems Special Purpose Centre, topping almost 90,000 drone troops in total.
“The head of unmanned systems has been appointed, and military command and control bodies have been created at all levels,” In November 20205, the deputy commander, Col. Sergei Ishtuganov said.
Read more related news:
Prisoner exchanges are not peace, but they are human
Assassination attempt on Zelensky foiled as ‘sleeper agent’ found guilty of spying for Russia
Kremlin issues warning to British troops and the Coalition of the Willing
Russia threatens UK with ‘nuclear winter’ simply because they know they’ve failed
“Just a year ago, our troops weren’t so saturated with drones of all types. But gradually, Russian units managed to turn the tide in the skies,” he told Russian daily kp.ru.
“We are assigning operators, engineers, technicians and other support specialists to these units,” Ishtuganov added, this is a clear sign of Moscow’s resources being dedicated to the Rubicon Center for Advanced Unmanned Technologies.
“Rubicon formations remain a leading problem for [(Ukrainian)] drone operators, not only the drone companies themselves, but because they train other Russian drone units,” notes Michael Kofman, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment.
The Sun reported a British defence source said the amount of drone soldiers Vladimir Putin has is “genuinely worrying.”
Armed Forces minister and former Royal Marine Commando Al Carns has called for better training including a degree course to build more superior weapons.
He said, “In Ukraine, drones are causing more casualties than artillery — that’s the reality of modern warfare.”
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said, “We are spending £4billion on boosting our drone capabilities. The Army has already trained 3,000 drone pilots, with another 6,000 to be trained next year.”
British military chiefs are also warning the world is on the brink of a major war and the UK must prepare for global conflict.
The Chief of the General Staff, General Sir Roly Walker is warning that the UK has to be ready for war within three years.
General Walker is strongly urging the government to invest more into the military and build up a stronger deterrence.
Other senior military ranks have warned that it is possible that citizens may be called on by the government or the Ministry of Defence to provide support should war break out.
General Walker said in a rare speech to defence leaders and senior military ranks that the UK is facing a “convergence of threats.”
He warned that war could break out between 2027 and 2028 unless the West steps up quickly with putting more money into defence for a strong deterrence.
He warned of Russia’s war in Ukraine, China eyeing Taiwan, North Korea with their weapons testing in preparation for possible conflict and Iran with their nuclear programme, all of this creates a dangerous prospect.
The Shadow Defence Minister Baroness Goldie has told the government to start considering conscription into the British Army as a large number of European countries have already introduced the programme in preparation for war.
Baroness Goldie warned the government that there is an “immediate threat” that General Walker has highlighted.
Leave a Comment