Overview
- Pro-war bloggers and BBC Russian sources report that Yuri Vaganov has been appointed commander of the Unmanned Systems Forces, though the Defense Ministry has not confirmed the move.
- Vaganov, known as “Yura Unitaz,” previously ran a plumbing business in Elektrostal and has no formal military education.
- Since 2022 he has become a key FPV drone supplier to Russian units, with critics in the military community alleging he effectively controls procurement.
- In October he was reportedly named an adviser to the deputy defense minister for armaments, preceding the reported promotion.
- The new branch was ordered formed on November 12 with Col. Sergei Ishtuganov as deputy, and coverage highlights unresolved controversies, including a deadly January 2024 HIMARS strike tied by bloggers to drone training and an unverified claim from Evocation that Ishtuganov ordered prisoner executions.