“Who comes to the meat grinder?” – Russia reassigns drone operators, leading to criticism of Z-Blogger

The Russian military is reassigning experienced UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) operators from ad-hoc drone units to frontline strike teams, according to reports from multiple Russian pro-war Telegram channels.

This step, according to the independent media outlet “Important stories” in Russia has led to criticism from Russian military bloggers, also known as Z-bloggers.

Roman Saponkov, a military correspondent, criticized the decisionsaying that many highly qualified drone operators – backed by extensive volunteer support and private sponsorship – are being repurposed for direct combat roles, resulting in increased casualties.

“This undermines years of efforts and contributions from people across the country,” he stated, emphasizing that the expertise of these operators was critical to intelligence and strike operations.

Z blogger Alexey Zhivov the shift connected to a growing number of unofficial ad hoc units in the Russian military, which have lured personnel available for attacks under the traditional Russian military command structure. He noted that as a result, battalions are being “shaked up” to strengthen offensive capabilities.

“Who’s going to join in the good old meat grinder attacks? So they (military authorities) began to reshuffle personnel,” Zhivov wrote.

Vladislav ShuryginAnother military commentator said the proliferation of unofficial military units, which has allowed Russian forces to avoid participating in offensive operations, has created a stark contrast between the documented structure of the armed forces and the reality on the ground.

Other interesting topics

Fighting ‘Phoenix’ Lady, Find the Koreans, Beltway Hive-Mind, Join the Cavalry

Stefan Korshak, military correspondent of Kiev Post, shares his view on developments in the Russian war in Ukraine.

“There are so many ad hoc units that soon there will be no one left to fight. On paper there is an ‘infantry battalion’, but on the ground no one is allowed to attack. Be it UAV operators, communications teams or logistics crews,” Shurygin wrote, citing a source from the headquarters of one of the branches of the Russian Armed Forces.

“In a company of 90 people, at best only 20 are ready to attack,” he added.

The restructuring is also linked to the creation of the Rubicon Center for Advanced Unmanned Technologies within the Russian Defense Ministry, where some say it could try to save their best men from the new unified branch by sending them to strike units.

Russian military authorities have hailed the creation of a unified, state-run UAV department as a major step forward, claiming it has destroyed more than 400 Ukrainian weapons and equipment since its creation.

At the same time, Z bloggers heavily criticized the move to disband ad hoc UAV units for the sake of a unified branch, especially since the Russian military does not have a unified communications system.

Unlike the Ukrainian armed forces, which use NATO’s unified communications system, Russian units suffer from inadequate communications infrastructure.

Shurygin warned of potential risks and questioned the effectiveness of the new UAV branch.

“During attacks, UAV support must be seamless. How long will it take to integrate these units with the infantry? How many lives will be lost due to gaps in support?” he asked.

Roman Alyokhin, advisor to the head of Russia’s Kursk region and military commentator, speculated that commanders are reassigning UAV operators for fear of losing their most capable personnel to the new UAV center.

“More and more reports have emerged showing UAV groups within units being disbanded and reassigned to attack roles. It seems that this is related to opposition to the decision of the Minister of Defense to establish a UAV center.

“Commanders seem concerned about losing their skilled operators – soldiers who can handle a few more missions and possibly earn medals for them,” he said.

An incident in September involving experienced operators from a Russian reconnaissance unit were killed after being assigned to a strike mission, it further fueled skepticism and led to an internal investigation.