Putin Says Russia Is Ramping up Drone Production Tenfold

 Russian President Vladimir Putin, 2nd right, accompanied by Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov, left, and Russian Presidential Aide Aleksei Dyumin, 2n left, visits the Special Technology Center in St Petersburg, Russia, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024. (Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
Russian President Vladimir Putin, 2nd right, accompanied by Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov, left, and Russian Presidential Aide Aleksei Dyumin, 2n left, visits the Special Technology Center in St Petersburg, Russia, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024. (Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
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Putin Says Russia Is Ramping up Drone Production Tenfold

 Russian President Vladimir Putin, 2nd right, accompanied by Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov, left, and Russian Presidential Aide Aleksei Dyumin, 2n left, visits the Special Technology Center in St Petersburg, Russia, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024. (Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
Russian President Vladimir Putin, 2nd right, accompanied by Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov, left, and Russian Presidential Aide Aleksei Dyumin, 2n left, visits the Special Technology Center in St Petersburg, Russia, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024. (Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Russia was ramping up drone production by around ten times to nearly 1.4 million this year in a bid to ensure the Russian armed forces win in Ukraine.

Since Russia sent tens of thousands of soldiers into Ukraine in February 2022, the war has largely been a story of grinding artillery and drone strikes along a heavily fortified 1,000-km (620-mile) front involving hundreds of thousands of soldiers.

The conflict has been a crucible for drone development - and an illustration of the importance of drones to modern warfare, from terrorizing infantry and collecting intelligence to sabotaging infrastructure and attacking arsenals.

"In total, about 140,000 unmanned aerial vehicles of various types were delivered to the armed forces in 2023," Putin said. "This year, the production of drones is planned to increase significantly. Well, to be more precise, almost 10 times."

"Whoever reacts faster to these demands on the battlefield wins," Putin said at a meeting in St Petersburg about drone production.

Both Russia and Ukraine have bought drones abroad and ramped up their own production while drone videos have illustrated the horror of the battlefield, showing deadly strikes on infantry, artillery and tanks.

EYE IN THE SKY

Inexpensive first-person view (FPV) drones - originally developed for civilian racers - are controlled by pilots on the ground and often crash into targets, laden with explosives.

For just a few hundred dollars, soldiers on both sides can inflict vast damage on the other side. A large-scale Ukrainian drone attack on Russia triggered an earthquake-sized blast at a major arsenal in the Tver region on Wednesday.

Putin said that Russia was making almost weekly advances in drone technology and needed to also develop its drone defenses, essentially technology which senses, confuses and then shoots down the attacking drones.

"The key task is to produce a wide range of aerial unmanned vehicles, to establish serial production as quickly as possible," Putin said.



Biden after Trump’s Election Win: Setbacks Are Unavoidable

US President Joe Biden addresses the nation from the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, DC, November 7, 2024, after Donald Trump won the presidential election. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP)
US President Joe Biden addresses the nation from the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, DC, November 7, 2024, after Donald Trump won the presidential election. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP)
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Biden after Trump’s Election Win: Setbacks Are Unavoidable

US President Joe Biden addresses the nation from the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, DC, November 7, 2024, after Donald Trump won the presidential election. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP)
US President Joe Biden addresses the nation from the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, DC, November 7, 2024, after Donald Trump won the presidential election. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP)

Seeking to console fellow Democrats, US President Joe Biden delivered remarks to the nation Thursday in what was his first appearance on camera following Republican Donald Trump’s decisive victory.

"Setbacks are unavoidable. Giving up is unforgiveable," Biden said at the White House Rose Garden as he addressed staff who were disappointed in Vice President Kamala Harris' defeat. "A defeat does not mean we are defeated."

Biden said Tuesday's election had proven the integrity of the US electoral system and said he would preside over an orderly transfer of power.

"We lost this battle. The America of your dreams is calling for you to get back up," he said.

The president reiterated that the US election system “is honest, it is fair, and it is transparent. And it can be trusted, win or lose.”

“America endures,” he said. “We’re going to be ok, but we need to stay engaged.”

Some Democrats have blamed Biden, 81, for Harris' defeat, saying he should not have sought reelection. Biden only dropped his reelection bid in July after a disastrous TV debate with Trump raised alarm bells about his mental fitness.
Trump's campaign said Biden had invited him to meet at the White House at an unspecified time. In the weeks ahead, Trump will select personnel to serve under his leadership.