What recruiters for the unmanned systems forces keep silent about

Forwarded From The "I Want to Find" Project

What recruiters for the unmanned systems forces keep silent about

Watch the interview with an assistant to UAV operators of the 123rd Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the Russian Armed Forces.

Over the past six months, the Russian Ministry of Defense has launched a mass propaganda campaign targeting students across the country. Young people are being recruited to war under the guise of contracts for the unmanned systems forces. Supposedly this is a “separate” contract, service far from the front, and an opportunity to resign after one year.

But in reality, everything is completely different: students are given a standard contract with the Russian Ministry of Defense to sign, and it is automatically extended after it ends. There is no possibility of resignation there. And most importantly, drone operators are in immediate proximity to the front line and are often killed.

Experienced recruiters, with the support of educational institution administrations, still manage to deceive many students. As of today, more than 1,300 young men are already known to have signed contracts with the Russian Ministry of Defense. Their full list by name has been published by the "I Want to Live" project. Many of them may soon die or end up in captivity.

What the life of a “drone operator” at the front really looks like was described by Maksim Kupyansky, a serviceman of the 123rd Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade, military unit 40463 of the Russian Armed Forces, who served in a drone operators' crew.

Maksim named the call signs of his friends from the unit who also served in UAV crews and were killed. Some of them were transferred by the command into the infantry and sent on “meat” assaults.

📋 Kupyansky Maksim Sergeyevich

❓ Prisoner of war

⌛ 07.06.2003, 23 years old

🌐 Stavropol, Russian Federation

🔻 123rd Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade, military unit 40463 of the Russian Armed Forces

🛑 Captured in October 2025 in the area of Siversk, Donetsk Oblast.

Maksim Kupyansky is in Ukraine with the status of prisoner of war. His relatives contacted the "I Want to Find" project, received confirmation of his captivity, and are seeking to bring him home.

❗️ To submit a request to search for a missing Russian serviceman in Ukraine, use the Telegram bot of the “I Want to Find” project

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What recruiters for students into the unmanned systems forces of the Russian Armed Forces keep silent about

Over the past six months, the Russian Ministry of Defense has launched a mass propaganda campaign targeting students across the country. Young people are being recruited to war under the guise of contracts for the unmanned systems forces. Supposedly this is a “separate” contract, service far from the front, and an opportunity to resign after one year.

But…