Russia Has Only Been Able To Recruit 25% Of New Drone Force Troops

Russia has attempted to copy Ukraine by setting up its own Unmanned Systems Force but has only been able to recruit 25% of the young men needed to do so. 

The reason is that Russian university students, who are the prime demographic for that new unit are refusing to volunteer and are legally fighting conscription. The reason is that because Russian infantry units are so understaffed, they often forcibly take 'drone specialists' who have been promised better treatment and no frontline posting. JL

The Kyiv Post reports:

Russia has recruited barely a quarter of the personnel it planned for its newly created Unmanned Systems Forces in the latest sign that Moscow is struggling to replenish its military. The failure reflects the broader slowdown in Russian military recruitment and the collapse of a campaign targeting university students, who were expected to form the backbone of the new force. Despite recruitment drives and pressure from educational institutions, many students have refused to sign military contracts, fearing they could later be transferred to assault units and forced into open-ended military service.  The Moscow Times claimed contracts were being signed only by “poor students facing expulsion." Recruits are most often men over the age of 50 with difficult personal backgrounds, 'the least suitable' for Russia’s high-tech military branch.

Russia has recruited barely a quarter of the personnel it planned for its newly created Unmanned Systems Forces (VBS – Voyska bespilotnykh sistem) in the latest sign that Moscow is struggling to replenish its military.

Speaking at a defense ministry board meeting on Friday, Deputy Defense Minister Alexei Krivoruchko said more than 8,000 specialists had completed training for the VBS during the first six months of 2026.

However, based on the ministry’s approved recruitment schedule, roughly 34,400 personnel should have been trained by mid-year, the Conflict Intelligence Team (CIT) calculated. 

The defense ministry had planned to recruit 78,800 servicemen into the VBS by the end of 2026, with most expected to come from university students, former air force personnel, and women with relevant qualifications. 

CIT said the failure reflects both the broader slowdown in Russian military recruitment and the collapse of a campaign targeting university students, who were expected to form the backbone of the new force.

Despite recruitment drives and reported pressure from educational institutions, many students have refused to sign military contracts, fearing they could later be transferred to assault units and forced into open-ended military service.

Z-blogger Alexander Vaskovsky, cited by The Moscow Times, claimed contracts were being signed only by “poor students facing expulsion,” while Alexei Chadayev said recruitment was proceeding “at far from impressive rates” despite the involvement of universities and regional authorities. 

Chadayev argued that those volunteering represent “a very specific contingent” and are “the least suitable” to become the backbone of Russia’s high-tech military branch.

According to CIT, recruits are most often men over the age of 50 with difficult personal backgrounds.

To compensate for the shortfall, the defense ministry has reportedly begun transferring experienced drone operators from existing unmanned units within the ground forces into the new service, weakening other formations in the process. 

The recruitment problems come as Russia struggles to meet its broader military manpower goals.

According to Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SZRU), Russia has recruited fewer than half of the 409,000 troops it planned to enlist in 2026. As of July, only about 195,000 contract soldiers had been signed up, compared with a target of 204,500 by that point in the year.

The agency said Russia’s daily recruitment rate has fallen to around 1,070-1,090 troops, down from an average of roughly 1,200 per day in 2024-25.

Independent Russian outlet Verstka also reported in June that military recruitment had declined nationwide despite the Kremlin increasing financial incentives.

According to the outlet, Moscow sent 1,708 contract soldiers to the front in April and 1,378 in May – around 1,000 fewer than during the same months in 2025.

Amid the slowing recruitment pace, Russian lawmaker Lt. Gen. Andrei Gurulyov said in June that Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin could announce a new wave of mobilization after September’s State Duma elections, an assessment echoed by senior Ukrainian officials.