IN BRIEF: Russia’s top brass discusses how Army embraces AI, trains drone specialists

IN BRIEF: Russia’s top brass discusses how Army embraces AI, trains drone specialists A unified system for the training of unmanned aerial vehicle specialists has been created in the Russian Armed Forces, Deputy Defense Minister Alexey Krivoruchko saidRussian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov© Press Service of the Russian Ministry of Defense/TASSMOSCOW, July 17. /TASS/. The Russian Defense Ministry has convened a meeting of the board, chaired by Defense Minister Andrey Belousov, the ministry said. A digital transformation will enable Russia to maintain military superiority through the use of artificial intelligence, Deputy Defense Minister Dmitry Shcherbinin said. A unified system for the training of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) specialists has been created in the Russian Armed Forces, Deputy Defense Minister Alexey Krivoruchko said. TASS has compiled key statements from the meeting. Board meeting - The Russian Defense Ministry’s board convened under the chairmanship of Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov. - The meeting was attended by Russian presidential aide Alexey Dyumin. Cooperation with foreign countries - The Russian Defense Ministry is working actively to sign multi-year plans for military cooperation with six countries in 2026, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Vasily Osmakov said. - The Russian Armed Forces conducted seven joint combat training events with the armies of several countries in the first half of 2026. - As part of Russia’s presidency of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, CSTO defense ministers made a decision to introduce new specializations into the system of military training, Osmakov added. Innovative systems - The situational awareness system has ramped up the efficiency of combat operations, according to Shcherbinin. - The Voentekh accelerated innovation deployment platform has begun operating to support the Russian Armed Forces, Osmakov said. Training UAV specialists - A unified system for the training of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) specialists has been created in the Russian Armed Forces with more than 8,000 personnel trained in the first half of the year, Deputy Defense Minister Alexey Krivoruchko said. - Centers have been established to train not only individual specialists but also entire units, including combat coordination on standard equipment. Embracing AI - A local reference and recommendation system based on a large language model (LLM) has been deployed in the Russian Armed Forces, the Defense Ministry said, citing Shcherbinin. - The system is being actively used by military command and control bodies in their daily operations. Activities are being completed ahead of schedule. - Achieving and maintaining the Russian Armed Forces’ military superiority, including through the use of artificial intelligence, is the goal of a digital transformation, Shcherbinin added. Drone procurement program - Work continues to provide military units of unmanned systems troops with everything they need to successfully perform their combat missions in the course of the special military operation, Krivoruchko said. - Russia’s Defense Ministry was focused on providing Russian combat units with anti-drone systems and procuring drones in the first six months of 2026. - Drone supplies to the Russian Armed Forces have more than doubled from last year, Krivoruchko specified. Equipment deliveries to personnel - The mobility and combat potential of the battlegroups in the zone of the special military operation have increased as there has been a 30%-increase in the fleet of cross-country mobile vehicles, including motorcycles, and buggies, the Russian Defense Ministry said, citing Deputy Minister Colonel-General Alexander Sanchik. - The amount of cargo delivered to the frontline has more than doubled through the use of ground robotic platforms and unmanned aerial vehicles. - Also, timeframes for recovering armaments, military and special equipment have been cut in the Russian Armed Forces, and measures have been taken to organize cycle-based training and raise the skills of repair personnel at industrial enterprises. Medical assistance to those wounded in special military op zone - UAV units equipped with robots for the evacuation of wounded soldiers have been included in the structure of medical platoons of the Russian Armed Forces, Deputy Defense Minister Anna Tsivilyova stated. - According to her, the evacuation time for those wounded in the special military operation zone has been reduced thanks to an increase in medical service staffing to 96%. - Russian troops will be 100% provided with armored equipment and robotic platforms for the evacuation of wounded personnel by the yearend, Tsivilyova noted. - The introduction of new first-aid kits and group first-aid kits has made it possible to significantly improve the quality of first aid, with assault groups being 100% provided with means of first-aid, she said. - The share of high-tech surgeries performed at district and naval hospitals has reached 12.5%, she concluded. 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