Recruits are being selected for positions as drone operators, engineers and technicians, military commissar Maxim Loktev told the state TASS news agency. Priority goes to candidates with experience in IT, electronics, radio engineering and model aircraft building, he said. New recruits are introduced to drones at the enlistment office itself, according to Loktev.
Russian students have been actively recruited into the drone forces since late 2025, The Moscow Times reported, with promises of a one-year contract, bonuses during service and guaranteed discharge when the term expires. The Defense Ministry announced the creation of the unmanned systems forces in November 2025 and enlisted hundreds of educational institutions in the recruitment drive. Citing sources, Faridaily reported that university administrators were set a target of attracting at least 2% of students.
Artyom Klyga, head of the legal department at the Movement of Conscious Objectors, a group that advises Russians on refusing military service, found that the promise of discharge after a year is a deception. Those who sign will be sent wherever the command decides and discharged when it sees fit, he said. A decree by President Vladimir Putin provides for the automatic extension of contracts during mobilization.
Rights advocates also found that a signatory can be sent to assault units. The BBC reported on three Russian students who agreed to become drone operators and were killed at the front several months later. Vladislav Gorbunov, 18, was first sent to an assault company and later transferred to a drone unit. He was killed on April 6, a little more than four months after signing the contract.
The Defense Ministry aims to recruit about 80,000 people into the unmanned systems forces by the end of 2026, The Moscow Times reported. Only 8,000 were attracted in the first six months.