{"id":4035,"date":"2026-05-10T07:45:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-10T12:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/?p=4035"},"modified":"2026-05-09T19:35:03","modified_gmt":"2026-05-10T00:35:03","slug":"russia-says-its-new-military-elite-is-no-longer-tanks-or-pilots-drone-operators-are-now-the-force-medvedev-says-will-define-war","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/russia-says-its-new-military-elite-is-no-longer-tanks-or-pilots-drone-operators-are-now-the-force-medvedev-says-will-define-war\/4035\/","title":{"rendered":"Russia says its new military elite is no longer tanks or pilots: drone operators are now the force Medvedev says will define war"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Russia is putting drone operators at the center of its future army. Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia\u2019s Security Council, told trainees at a Leningrad Military District center that people working with unmanned systems are becoming the \u201cbackbone of the military elite\u201d Russia says it needs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He also urged them to protect themselves, calling their skills important for their families and the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That statement matters because it captures a larger shift happening in plain sight. The war in Ukraine is no longer only about tanks, artillery, and trenches. It is increasingly a contest of <a href=\"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/russia-turned-its-cheap-molniya-strike-drones-into-spy-aircraft-and-the-shift-is-exposing-how-the-war-is-being-won-by-adaptation-not-elegance\/2866\/\">cheap aircraft<\/a>, cameras, electronic jamming, software, and industrial capacity, and the environmental cost is spreading well beyond the front line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Drone operators move to the center<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Medvedev\u2019s message was aimed at soldiers learning one of the most valuable jobs in modern combat: a drone pilot can watch a road, guide artillery, hit a vehicle, or keep troops pinned down without ever seeing the target face to face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-element-a00da4e5\">\n<div><div class=\"gb-looper-46613eed\">\n<div class=\"gb-loop-item gb-loop-item-a8390598 post-4039 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-tech resize-featured-image\">\n<h4 class=\"gb-text gb-text-24a51617\">Also Read: <a href=\"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/you-delete-photos-and-your-phone-still-looks-full-the-hidden-android-google-photos-and-whatsapp-trash-folders-may-explain-why\/4039\/\">You delete photos and your phone still looks full: the hidden Android, Google Photos, and WhatsApp trash folders may explain why<\/a><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>That is why the job now carries such weight. According to Poland\u2019s OSW research center, Ukrainian battlefield drones are responsible for destroying nearly 85% of enemy military targets on the front line and for 70% to 80% of Russian casualties, including killed and wounded personnel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ukraine\u2019s own numbers point in the same direction. Its <a href=\"https:\/\/mod.gov.ua\/en\/news\/army-of-drones-bonus-program-delivers-results-nearly-820-000-russian-targets-hit-in-2025-says-mykhailo-fedorov\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Defense Ministry<\/a> said 819,737 video-confirmed drone strikes were recorded in 2025, while President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said drones now destroy more than 80% of enemy targets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A technology race<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Medvedev also said modern armies have not solved the problem of \u201cdrone swarms.\u201d He described it as a complex task requiring <a href=\"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/ukraine-is-building-a-technological-shield-against-russia-the-shift-to-ai-that-could-change-the-way-wars-are-fought\/1836\/\">artificial intelligence<\/a> and advanced computing, adding that large numbers of drones in the air are difficult to shoot down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Essentially, that means armies are racing not just to buy drones, but to train people who can use them, jam them, repair them, and learn faster than the other side. It is less like buying one expensive aircraft and more like keeping a moving factory, a software lab, and a training school running at once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Russia also says its <a href=\"https:\/\/tass.com\/defense\/2124759\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">defense industry<\/a> has changed fast. Medvedev said Russia now produces a \u201cfull range\u201d of unmanned aerial vehicles, from small copters and FPV drones to fixed-wing UAVs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The front line expands<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>For soldiers and civilians, the most frightening change may be the expanding \u201ckill zone.\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/drones-have-changed-warfare-in-the-arctic-to-such-an-extent-that-norways-elite-soldiers-are-once-again-digging-caves-in-the-snow-by-hand-to-disappear-beneath-the-ice-before-they-can-be-spotte\/2598\/\">Drone-heavy fighting<\/a> can make ordinary movement dangerous, including a walk to a car, a trip for supplies, or an evacuation under fire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine reported that civilian casualties from short-range drones rose 120% in 2025, with 577 civilians killed and 3,288 injured. Danielle Bell, head of the mission, warned that expanded short-range drone use has made many areas near the front \u201ceffectively uninhabitable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That is where military technology meets everyday life. Roads go quiet. Shops close. Emergency workers delay trips because a small buzzing object in the sky can turn a routine drive into a fatal one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Environmental damage grows<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>There is another layer, and it is easy to miss while counting weapons. Drone warfare can also turn infrastructure into an environmental hazard, especially when energy sites, refineries, ports, or industrial facilities are hit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Reuters reported that Ukrainian drone strikes on Russia\u2019s Black Sea port of Tuapse in late April 2026 caused toxic black smoke and oil slicks along the coast, while authorities said they had cleared more than 13,300 cubic meters of fuel oil and contaminated soil. Residents were warned to stay indoors, close windows, and drink bottled water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-element-341332d2\">\n<div><div class=\"gb-looper-1d3178bb\">\n<div class=\"gb-loop-item gb-loop-item-f0b021a2 post-3981 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-military-defense resize-featured-image\">\n<h4 class=\"gb-text gb-text-efcc1fca\">Also Read: <a href=\"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/russia-wants-a-fighter-jet-so-fast-that-no-pilot-may-be-able-to-fly-it-and-that-turns-the-cockpit-into-the-strangest-problem\/3981\/\">Russia wants a fighter jet so fast that no pilot may be able to fly it, and that turns the cockpit into the strangest problem<\/a><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Ukraine has also suffered a broader <a href=\"https:\/\/www.unep.org\/news-and-stories\/story\/toxic-legacy-ukraine-war\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">toxic legacy<\/a> from the war. UNEP has documented damage to energy infrastructure, oil storage, refineries, industrial sites, mines, and agro-processing facilities, warning of air pollution and possible contamination of ground and surface waters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Cleanup will need its own drones<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Strangely enough, some of the same technologies changing warfare are also being used to clean up after it. In Ukraine, demining groups are turning to drones, artificial intelligence, and remote-controlled machines to find and remove explosive remnants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1800\" height=\"1013\" src=\"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/russia-military-elite-drone-operators-medvedev-unmanned-warfare-1.jpg\" alt=\"Russian soldiers being trained in the operation of FPV drones and unmanned aerial vehicles at a military center.\" class=\"wp-image-4037\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/russia-military-elite-drone-operators-medvedev-unmanned-warfare-1.jpg 1800w, https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/russia-military-elite-drone-operators-medvedev-unmanned-warfare-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/russia-military-elite-drone-operators-medvedev-unmanned-warfare-1-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/russia-military-elite-drone-operators-medvedev-unmanned-warfare-1-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/russia-military-elite-drone-operators-medvedev-unmanned-warfare-1-150x84.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dmitry Medvedev emphasizes the transition to unmanned warfare, labeling drone operators as the &#8220;backbone&#8221; of Russia&#8217;s modern military elite.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Reuters reported that more than 132,000 square kilometers of land remain contaminated by mines in Ukraine, according to state-run Demine Ukraine. HALO Trust says AI analysis of drone imagery is already identifying mines and explosive remnants with around 70% accuracy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That does not make drones good or bad by themselves. It shows how quickly they have become tools of power, destruction, repair, and recovery, depending on who uses them and for what purpose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What to watch next<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Medvedev\u2019s remarks should not be read as a throwaway line. They are a signal that Russia sees drone operators not as a temporary wartime fix, but as a permanent military class inside a more automated force.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-element-17e466cd\">\n<div><div class=\"gb-looper-bbbd0884\">\n<div class=\"gb-loop-item gb-loop-item-810af80e post-3887 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-military-defense resize-featured-image\">\n<h4 class=\"gb-text gb-text-2d012184\">Also Read: <a href=\"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/russias-new-banderol-missile-appears-in-leaked-diagrams-with-a-jet-drone-body-and-a-speed-that-could-reach-500-km-h\/3887\/\">Russia\u2019s new \u201cBanderol\u201d missile appears in leaked diagrams, with a jet-drone body and a speed that could reach 500 km\/h<\/a><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The question now is whether governments can keep up with the consequences. Training more drone crews may change battlefield tactics, but it also pushes cities, oil hubs, power grids, forests, and farmland deeper into the risk zone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For the most part, the drone era has arrived faster than laws, cleanup plans, and public understanding. The machines are small. The footprint they leave is not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The official statement was published on <em>Security Council of the Russian Federation<\/em>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Russia is putting drone operators at the center of its future army. Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia\u2019s Security Council, &#8230; <\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more-container\"><a title=\"Russia says its new military elite is no longer tanks or pilots: drone operators are now the force Medvedev says will define war\" class=\"read-more button\" href=\"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/russia-says-its-new-military-elite-is-no-longer-tanks-or-pilots-drone-operators-are-now-the-force-medvedev-says-will-define-war\/4035\/#more-4035\" aria-label=\"Read more about Russia says its new military elite is no longer tanks or pilots: drone operators are now the force Medvedev says will define war\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":4036,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4035","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-military-defense","resize-featured-image"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4035","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4035"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4035\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4038,"href":"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4035\/revisions\/4038"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4036"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4035"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4035"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4035"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}