Russia's Defense Ministry has failed to meet its planned recruitment targets for the Unmanned Systems Forces (USF).

Speaking at a ministry board meeting on July 17, Deputy Defense Minister Alexei Krivoruchko said that more than 8,000 specialists had completed the required training during the first six months of 2026. However, according to the approved recruitment schedule, the Conflict Intelligence Team (CIT) estimated that around 34,400 specialists should have been recruited by that point, The Caspian Post reports.

Documents from the Ministry of Defense indicated that the ministry planned to recruit 78,800 personnel for the USF by the end of 2026. The largest share of this number-58,000 personnel-was expected to come from students, graduates of DOSAAF training programs, former air force personnel, and women with relevant qualifications.

According to the CIT, the shortfall is linked both to a broader decline in recruitment rates for the Russian military, especially during the first quarter of 2026, and to the failure of the student recruitment campaign, which had been a central focus of the Ministry of Defense’s efforts. Despite recruitment campaigns and reported pressure, many students have refused to sign contracts due to concerns that they could later be transferred to assault units and face indefinite military service.

Previously, Z-bloggers Alexey Chadayev and Alexander Vaskovsky also reported difficulties with recruitment for the Unmanned Systems Forces. Vaskovsky claimed that only “low-performing students, subject to expulsion,” were signing contracts. Chadayev said recruitment was progressing at a “not particularly remarkable pace,” despite the involvement of educational institutions and regional authorities. He added that only “a rather specific contingent, the least suited to become the backbone of a new high-tech branch of the armed forces,” was joining the USF. Analysts noted that these recruits are most often “men over 50 who have had a difficult life.”

The CIT reported that, in order to compensate for the shortage of new recruits for the USF, the Ministry of Defense has been transferring drone operators from existing similar units within the ground forces. According to the CIT, this approach weakens other areas of the Russian military.

This practice was also confirmed by Jack Watling, a senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), who recently returned from Ukraine after analysing the situation on the battlefield.