Russia's newly formed Unmanned Systems Forces are supposedly comprised over 87,000 soldiers, a report by the Institute for the Study of War has claimed.

The elite regiment, which was presented during the May 2025 Victory Day Parade in Moscow, currently consists of seven regiments, 25 battalions, one division and three detachments.

But, the ISW said Russia plans to raise one brigade, four regiments, 96 battalions, two divisions, and 82 companies in 2026.

Moscow also boasts another 1,000 troops in its Rubikon Center for Advanced Unmanned Technologies and hundreds more in its Bars-Sarmat Unmanned Systems Special Purpose Centre.

In comparison, the British Army has shrunk to its smallest size in over 200 years, following a series of brutal cutbacks which have ravaged its numbers.

The latest statistics, from October 2025, showed there were 74,270 full-time, trained soldiers ready for deployment in the Army, along with a further 25,710 reservists.

A source told The Sun the figures were 'genuinely worrying' as the UK only has around 3,000 troops capable of flying drones.

At the end of the Cold War, the 'Territorial Army', as it was known, had a trained strength of almost 73,000 soldiers. And by the end of the Second World War, more than one million army reservists had been called to fight.

Limited funding has seen governments prioritising cash for the full-time army, Royal Navy and RAF.

But this has led to reserves being undermanned, with part-time troops historically lacking basic equipment like body armour, weapons and vehicles, and not receiving the training they need.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence said: 'We are spending £4billion on boosting our drone capabilities.

'The Army has already trained 3,000 drone pilots, with another 6,000 to be trained next year.'