Russia establishes unified drone operator training system — deputy defense minister

MOSCOW, July 17. /TASS/. A unified system for the training of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) specialists has been created in the Russian Armed Forces with more than 8,000 personnel trained in the first half of the year, Deputy Defense Minister Alexey Krivoruchko said at a ministry board meeting on Friday.

"In total, more than 8,000 specialists were trained in the first half of 2026," Krivoruchko said, as quoted by the ministry.

According to the Defense Ministry, the deputy minister emphasized that a unified specialist training system has been created in the Russian Armed Forces and corresponding programs have been developed. Centers have been established to train not only individual specialists but also entire units, including combat coordination on standard equipment.

"A unified system for the training of unmanned systems specialists has been created, the program, instruction books and standards have been developed, taking into account the special military operation experience. For the first time, training has been organized not only for individual specialists, but also for entire units, with operational coordination using standard equipment. Units have been trained to independently carry out missions in specific operational and tactical directions," Krivoruchko said.