Putin says Russia is building satellite system for combat drones

Russia is moving to tie its drone war to space infrastructure, a step that would give combat drones longer reach and a more resilient command link than vulnerable ground networks. Vladimir Putin said Russia was developing a satellite-based system for controlling combat drones while meeting with military officials in the Kremlin, an announcement that pointed to how central unmanned warfare has become to Moscow’s planning.

The shift matters because drone warfare has become one of the defining features of the war in Ukraine, with both Russian and Ukrainian forces using unmanned systems against front lines, logistics hubs, and energy infrastructure. A satellite-linked control network could, in theory, help Russia operate farther from the front, reduce dependence on radio relays and other exposed communications, and make its drones harder to disrupt. It would also fit a broader Kremlin effort to scale up drone capability as the conflict continues to reward speed, adaptation, and industrial capacity.

Putin has been telegraphing that priority for years. In June 2025, he called for the rapid development of separate drone forces within the military and said unmanned systems had played a major role in the Ukraine war. Ukraine responded in kind by establishing its Unmanned Systems Forces in June 2024, turning drones into a formal branch of the conflict rather than an improvised battlefield tool.

The satellite announcement also landed alongside another sign of military expansion. A decree published on Russia’s official legal acts portal set the authorized strength of the Armed Forces at 2,399,130 personnel positions, including 1,510,000 military personnel. That replaced a March 4 decree that had set the force at 2,391,770 positions, including 1,502,640 military personnel, an increase of 7,360 personnel and a second expansion in about three months.

Taken together, the new size order and the drone-satellite project show Russia trying to pair manpower growth with the communications backbone needed for a more modern war. Reuters reported June 5 that Russia planned to launch its own smaller Starlink-like satellite broadband system the following year, a move that would support the same direction of travel: more space-linked connectivity, more autonomous systems, and less reliance on fragile battlefield links. For Moscow, the message is not just that drones matter, but that the next phase of warfare may depend on controlling them from above.