Russian President Vladimir Putin has appointed Colonel General Denis Lyamin as the new head of Russia’s unmanned systems forces. The move was announced Wednesday as part of a broader reshuffle of senior military posts.
DR reports that Putin himself announced the personnel changes, which affected several parts of the Russian military command. Lyamin, who takes charge of the branch responsible for drones, attended a meeting with Putin in Moscow on the day of his appointment.
The unmanned systems forces handle drones and related equipment within the Russian armed forces. According to DR, the branch was declared fully established in 2025, after having existed for a year. Putin has nonetheless said several times that the buildout remains unfinished.
Peter Meedom, an assistant professor at Forsvarsakademiet who researches the Russian military, told DR that Lyamin’s appointment was the most notable change on the list. Per Meedom, the Kremlin wants more organization and institutionalization of the drone area, which has become central to the war.
Meedom said the announcement indicates that Putin is not satisfied with the progress made so far. He also noted that drones in Russia, as in Ukraine, have largely been an area of civilian initiative, and that this now appears to be ending.
A traditional army profile
Lyamin is 47 and comes from a long and conventional career in the Russian armed forces, passing through several regiments as he moved up the hierarchy. His most recent post was first deputy commander and chief of staff of the central military district, which has had units deployed in Ukraine.
According to Meedom, the choice points toward a preference for a classic military profile with an army and armour background. He said it has not been officially confirmed who previously led the unmanned systems forces.
Rumors had named businessman Yuriy Vaganov, nicknamed Toilet-Yuriy because of his past in the plumbing sector, as reported by DR. Vaganov has been an important supplier of FPV drones to the Russian army, but parts of the Russian military community criticized him sharply for lacking military training.
Meedom said Lyamin stands in sharp contrast to that profile, and that the appointment signals a wish for more traditional forces and operational principles. He assesses that the drone branch is meant to become a larger and more integrated part of the Russian defense.
Ukrainian intelligence information cited by Meedom indicates that the long-term plan is for more than 200,000 people to serve in the unmanned systems forces by 2030. Meedom said it can be debated whether that figure is realistic.
The reshuffle in the military leadership came during the same week as a long series of attacks from both the Russian and Ukrainian sides, according to DR. Those attacks caused extensive damage.
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