The Russia-Ukraine war has reached a new technological level where combat operations are increasingly shifting to the realm of unmanned systems, and the majority of strikes — at both the tactical and operational-strategic levels — are carried out using attack drones and missiles. 

The protracted nature of the war and its intensity have created a need for low-cost, mass-produced weapons. Sanctions have heavily restricted Russia’s ability to manufacture its own weapons, so Moscow is increasingly relying on its allies for the raw materials and technology it can no longer make at home.