May 20, 2025

Drones for War, Not for Pizza Delivery


Drones for War, Not for Pizza Delivery
A typical FPV-drone video feed with an on-screen display readout showing navigation data. Patrick McKay, Wikimedia Commons

Russia is experiencing a boom in drone manufacturing. According to independent outlet The Insider, investments in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) production for Russia's War on Ukraine match the funding allocated to nuclear energy over the next six years. Many drone manufacturers operate under the guise of civilian projects and rely heavily on components imported from China.

In 2023, the head of the Urban Aeromobility Management Center (TSUGAM) in Moscow promised that drones would soon deliver parcels and groceries, monitor construction progress, and inspect communication towers. Deputy general director of TSUGAM Andrei Anikin claimed that agreements had been signed with VkusVill, X5 Group, Pochta Rossii, and the multinational pizza chain Dodo Pizza.

While drone-based pizza delivery has not materialized, TSUGAM has become one of Russia's fastest-growing young companies. Its growth stems largely from acquiring shares in drone manufacturers supplying the Russian military. TSUGAM has opened a production facility and testing ground in the Russian-occupied Luhansk Oblast and launched a training program in the annexed Ukrainian city of Sevastopol.

TSUGAM is not alone. Since 2023, Russia has registered a record 407 companies involved in aircraft manufacturing. Many are connected to drone production, according to The Insider. At least 140 companies now produce drones. Another 60 companies supply parts, resell drones, or train operators.

Combined, these drone-related firms earned over R136 billion ($1.7 billion) in revenue in 2024. Investment in them totaled R243 billion ($3 billion) over 2023 and 2024 — nearly matching the investments in Russia’s entire nuclear energy sector for the next six years. Similar long-term sums are also being allocated by the state for waste recycling, water treatment plant construction, and environmental cleanup.

Many companies obscure their military connections by presenting themselves as civilian drone producers. For example, Supercam highlights its UAVs' use in agriculture, oil and gas, energy, and environmental monitoring industries. But while these drones are used by the Ministry of Emergency Situations and forest and environmental agencies, they are also deployed in military operations.

Meanwhile, the Russian government has struggled to meet its civilian drone procurement goals. In 2024, a state order for just 3,000 civilian drones was unfulfilled as of April 2025. By comparison, in the summer of 2024, Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov claimed that up to 4,000 drones were arriving at the front each day. In addition to manufacturers prioritizing military contracts, Kommersant reported that bureaucratic hurdles prevent firms from receiving state funding. 

According to The Insider, Russian military drone production remains critically dependent on Chinese imports. While overall electronic imports to Russia have declined, supplies for drone companies are rising. Imported items include engines, controllers, batteries, 3D printers, casting molds, and machining equipment. Engines alone account for 38% of import costs among drone firms tracked by The Insider, followed by controllers (25%) and batteries (20%).

Western sanctions have limited impact on this sector. Only China has the leverage to disrupt it, The Insider reports. A Chinese ban on exporting electric motors — rarely used in Russia outside of drone manufacturing — could halt production entirely. While Russia could attempt to localize production, it is unlikely to achieve mass manufacturing of key components in less than a year. 

You Might Also Like

Silent Casualties of the War
  • May 13, 2025

Silent Casualties of the War

Dozens of residents in Russia’s Belgorod Oblast have been injured or killed in military-related traffic accidents and are struggling to find justice.
Russian Soldiers Want Peace
  • May 08, 2025

Russian Soldiers Want Peace

Independent outlet Verstka interviewed Russian soldiers about a potential ceasefire and the objectives of the war.
With Prayers and Drones
  • April 28, 2025

With Prayers and Drones

Dozens of Orthodox military-patriotic clubs across Russia prepare children for war.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

The Moscow Eccentric
December 01, 2016

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.

93 Untranslatable Russian Words
December 01, 2008

93 Untranslatable Russian Words

Every language has concepts, ideas, words and idioms that are nearly impossible to translate into another language. This book looks at nearly 100 such Russian words and offers paths to their understanding and translation by way of examples from literature and everyday life. Difficult to translate words and concepts are introduced with dictionary definitions, then elucidated with citations from literature, speech and prose, helping the student of Russian comprehend the word/concept in context.

Woe From Wit (bilingual)
June 20, 2017

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.

Faith & Humor
December 01, 2011

Faith & Humor

A book that dares to explore the humanity of priests and pilgrims, saints and sinners, Faith & Humor has been both a runaway bestseller in Russia and the focus of heated controversy – as often happens when a thoughtful writer takes on sacred cows. The stories, aphorisms, anecdotes, dialogues and adventures in this volume comprise an encyclopedia of modern Russian Orthodoxy, and thereby of Russian life.

How Russia Got That Way
September 20, 2025

How Russia Got That Way

A fast-paced crash course in Russian history, from Norsemen to Navalny, that explores the ways the Kremlin uses history to achieve its ends.

Survival Russian
February 01, 2009

Survival Russian

Survival Russian is an intensely practical guide to conversational, colloquial and culture-rich Russian. It uses humor, current events and thematically-driven essays to deepen readers’ understanding of Russian language and culture. This enlarged Second Edition of Survival Russian includes over 90 essays and illuminates over 2000 invaluable Russian phrases and words.

The Little Humpbacked Horse
November 03, 2014

The Little Humpbacked Horse

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.

Fearful Majesty
July 01, 2014

Fearful Majesty

This acclaimed biography of one of Russia’s most important and tyrannical rulers is not only a rich, readable biography, it is also surprisingly timely, revealing how many of the issues Russia faces today have their roots in Ivan’s reign.

Fish
February 01, 2010

Fish

This mesmerizing novel from one of Russia’s most important modern authors traces the life journey of a selfless Russian everywoman. In the wake of the Soviet breakup, inexorable forces drag Vera across the breadth of the Russian empire. Facing a relentless onslaught of human and social trials, she swims against the current of life, countering adversity and pain with compassion and hope, in many ways personifying Mother Russia’s torment and resilience amid the Soviet disintegration.

Marooned in Moscow
May 01, 2011

Marooned in Moscow

This gripping autobiography plays out against the backdrop of Russia's bloody Civil War, and was one of the first Western eyewitness accounts of life in post-revolutionary Russia. Marooned in Moscow provides a fascinating account of one woman's entry into war-torn Russia in early 1920, first-person impressions of many in the top Soviet leadership, and accounts of the author's increasingly dangerous work as a journalist and spy, to say nothing of her work on behalf of prisoners, her two arrests, and her eventual ten-month-long imprisonment, including in the infamous Lubyanka prison. It is a veritable encyclopedia of life in Russia in the early 1920s.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955