Russia has recruited barely a quarter of the personnel it planned for its newly created Unmanned Systems Forces (VBS – Voyska bespilotnykh sistem) in the latest sign that Moscow is struggling to replenish its military. Speaking at a Defense Ministry board meeting on July 17, Deputy Defense Minister Alexei Krivoruchko said more than 8,000 specialists had completed training for the VBS during the first six months of 2026.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. However, based on the ministry’s approved recruitment schedule, roughly 34,400 personnel should have been trained by mid-year, the Conflict Intelligence Team (CIT) calculated. The Defense Ministry had planned to recruit 78,800 servicemen into the VBS by the end of 2026, with most expected to come from university students, former Air Force personnel, and women with relevant qualifications. CIT said the failure reflects both the broader slowdown in Russian military recruitment and the collapse of a campaign targeting university students, who were expected to form the backbone of the new force. Despite recruitment drives and reported pressure from educational institutions, many students have refused to sign military contracts, fearing they could later be transferred to assault units and forced into open-ended military service. Z-blogger Alexander Vaskovsky, cited by The Moscow Times, claimed contracts were being signed only by “poor students facing expulsion,” while Alexei Chadayev said recruitment was proceeding “at far from impressive rates” despite the involvement of universities and regional authorities.