The report also highlighted a plan by Russia to build a drone production plant in neighboring Belarus with a capacity of up to 100,000 drones a year.
Drone warfare played a major role in helping Ukrainian forces repel Russia’s invasion in February 2022. Since late 2024, however, the drone war has shifted in Russia’s favor, as Moscow adapted to the new technology, according to the Atlantic Council.
Russian media have reported that the country’s Ministry of Defense this month launched a recruitment campaign at Russian universities, seeking students with computer and tech skills to bolster its unmanned systems forces.
The Latvian report also referenced last year’s disruptive drone incursions around critical infrastructure in Europe, concluding that — regardless of whether Moscow was behind those attacks — they benefited Russia.