Elena Teslova
23 April 2025•Update: 23 April 2025
MOSCOW
Russia delivered more than 1.5 million drones to its armed forces last year, President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday, acknowledging it was still insufficient to meet the military’s growing needs.
"More than one and a half million drones of various types were sent to the front line, including around 4,000 FPV virtually controlled drones," Putin said at a meeting of the Military-Industrial Commission in Moscow.
Commending the Defense Ministry’s ongoing efforts, he admitted that more must be done to scale up production.
“I know very well, and many of you here today know it just as well, that these weapons are still lacking. There is a shortage. I am aware of the daily work being done by the Ministry of Defense, the minister himself, and our industrial enterprises. There are plans in motion, and the process is underway,” he said.
Putin offered a generally positive assessment of Russia’s defense industry, noting that most military enterprises met their state defense order targets fully, efficiently, and on time. In some areas, he claimed, production was even ahead of schedule.
“For example, production of weapons of destruction, communication systems, reconnaissance equipment, and electronic warfare systems has more than doubled. Our forces received over 4,000 armored vehicles and 180 combat aircraft and helicopters,” he said.
The president expressed confidence that plans to ramp up drone production would be realized, adding that the defense sector faces even more ambitious goals this year.
"Today, our experience in the special military operation, both tactical and technological, is being studied by armies, arms manufacturers, and high-tech companies around the world. We must stay one step ahead, as we have done on many occasions, and I’m confident we will continue to do so,” he said.
Putin also emphasized the need to closely monitor global military technology trends in order to anticipate and understand future conflicts.
Among the priority tasks he outlined were the development of advanced laser systems, building-up of an orbital satellite constellation for comprehensive reconnaissance and secure communications, and deploying protected, domestically-developed software, including AI solutions, for integration into automated command-and-control systems.
