Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, Moscow’s main military advantage has been its scale: a large standing force, extensive reserves, and the legacy of a Soviet-era military system that long made it one of the world’s biggest armies.
Yet more than four years into Moscow's war, that advantage has been increasingly challenged.
Ukraine’s forces have shown that sheer numbers alone no longer guarantee success on the battlefield, with drone technology helping to largely offset Russia’s demographic weight and reshape the dynamics of modern warfare not only in Ukraine.
Ukraine’s drone revolution
What started in 2022 as a desperate effort by Ukrainian soldiers and volunteers to adapt civilian “wedding drones” for military purposes culminated in history's first when an enemy position was taken over using robotic systems alone, forcing Russian soldiers to surrender.
