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- Air support: restrictions on large drones will be lifted in almost 60 regions of the Russian Federation
Air support: restrictions on large drones will be lifted in almost 60 regions of the Russian Federation
Restrictions on the operation of large unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) will be lifted in almost 60 regions of Russia. We are talking about drones weighing more than 30 kg in the "regions of basic readiness" — outside the south and Central Russia. Now the registration procedures for such devices are very complicated, they can take several months. Therefore, businesses use drones under threat of fines, experts say. Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Saveliev instructed the Ministry of Transport to work on easing restrictions. In which industries drones are used and how it will affect business, see the Izvestia article.
How is the use of UAVs regulated now
The authorities are preparing to ease restrictions on the use of UAS (unmanned aircraft systems) in regions with a basic level of readiness. Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Saveliev instructed the Ministry of Transport to work out such a measure, according to the minutes of the meeting with the official (Izvestia has it).
"To ensure the completion of the task of lifting restrictions on flights of unmanned aircraft in the regions of the Russian Federation where the level of basic readiness has been established," the document says.
In 2022, four levels of response were introduced in the regions of the Russian Federation, as well as a ban on the use of drones. The maximum (martial law) is in effect in the DPR, LPR, Kherson and Zaporizhia regions. The average level was introduced in the border regions, while the increased level was introduced in the regions of the Central and Southern Federal Districts, with the exception of border regions. The remaining 59 have a basic readiness level.
Initially, each of them assumed a complete ban on the launch of drones. However, in March 2024, this rule was abolished: for flights of drones weighing up to 30 kg, special permits were no longer required, provided that the device moves during the daytime, at an altitude of no more than 150 m and in the operator's line of sight.
— At the same time, UAVs weighing more than 30 kg must be registered, and their owners must undergo separate registration procedures for vehicles with flight permits from local governments. Sometimes bureaucratic procedures can take several months, and as a result, some companies use UAVs without approval under threat of fines," said Dmitry Tortev, a member of the expert council of the State Duma Committee for the Protection of Competition.
In August 2025, Rosaviation launched a unified digital UAV flight coordination system, which connects about 1.5 thousand local governments. Today, for controlling a drone that is not registered or does not have an on-board number, they charge a fine from 2 thousand to 2.5 thousand rubles or deprive this right for a year. Larger fines are imposed for violating the rules for the use of airspace. For citizens — from 20 thousand to 50 thousand, and for organizations — from 250 thousand to 300 thousand rubles.
— The government systematically supports the development of the UAS production and implementation industry in Russia and is trying to simplify the procedures for their use. However, this issue can only be gradual, taking into account, first of all, ensuring the safety of citizens and industrial facilities. After all, drones can be used by intruders for the purpose of sabotage," Dmitry Tortev noted.
Izvestia sent inquiries to the office of Vitaly Savelyev, the Ministry of Transport, the Federal Air Transport Agency and the Ministry of Defense.
The measure discussed in the government to ease restrictions on the civilian use of drones may open up new business opportunities, said Arthur Leer, vice president of the Association of Exporters and Importers, managing partner of Lex Alliance Law Firm.
— This is a really important step. The possible lifting of restrictions on the use of unmanned aerial vehicles in more than 50 regions of the country opens up significant potential for economic development, the expert said.
According to him, drones can be used in geological exploration and extraction of natural resources, as well as drones with specialized software for probing surfaces (searching for minerals, evaluating deposits).
— The introduction of such technologies makes it possible to develop large territories more efficiently, reduce exploration costs and accelerate resource assessment processes. UAVs are also used in firefighting and monitoring of water resources, which further expands the range of applications beyond the strictly agricultural and extractive sectors," said Artur Leer.
The field of civilian drone applications is developing very rapidly, and reducing administrative barriers creates the prerequisites for mass adoption — the more regions have the opportunity to use drones without excessive restrictions, the faster the chain of services and solutions around this technology will develop, he added.
On January 1, 2024, the national project "Unmanned Aircraft Systems" for the period up to 2030-2035 was launched in Russia. The project is dedicated to the creation of a promising independent branch of the economy related to the creation and use of civilian UAVs. The annual volume of the Russian market of unmanned aircraft systems until 2030 will be more than 46 thousand units, Anton Alikhanov, head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation, said in July. In the same month, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin stated that the national project demonstrates high efficiency: the production of UAVs has already exceeded the planned volumes by three times.
— We are interested in simplifying flight approval procedures and opening the skies wherever possible for safety reasons, as closed skies hinder the development of the industry. Conscientious UAS operators follow all the rules and do not always get permits, while unscrupulous ones do not ask whether they can fly or not," Ilya Demko, director of the Geoscan Group of Companies (manufacturer of drones), told Izvestia.
How drones are being developed in Russia
In 2022, the government launched a three-year experiment in which Russian Post delivers cargo using unmanned aerial vehicles. UAS began to be used in the Chukotka, Khanty-Mansiysk, Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrugs, Kamchatka Territory and Tomsk Region. In early 2025, the Ministry of Economic Development announced that the experiment would be extended, noting the demand for such services.
During the experiment, Russian Post tested several new drone models for cargo delivery in difficult geographical and climatic conditions, the mayor reported. However, the delivery of goods using UAVs remains significantly more expensive than delivery by manned scheduled or charter flights, the company estimated.
At the same time, in a recent interview with Izvestia, the head of Yakutia, Aisen Nikolaev, said that in the next 5-10 years, the delivery of goods and orders from marketplaces by drones will become a common practice, especially for hard-to-reach territories. The head of the region suggested that in the future, unmanned airships could play a special role, which would occupy a niche between large aircraft and small UAVs.
One of the most important applications of drones is the agro—industrial complex, noted Arthur Leer from Lex Alliance. Agriculture actively needs effective methods of monitoring fields, fertilizing, spraying, and assessing the condition of crops, and UAVs here allow tasks to be performed faster, at lower cost, and with more targeted work, the expert explained.
So, in 2024, a laboratory was created at the Advanced Engineering School of the Southern Federal University (SFU) to develop competencies in demand by the agro-industry. The laboratory develops UAVs for applying plant protection products to the surface of the soil cover, vision systems for monitoring agricultural fields, etc.
There are several types of drones in agriculture, and the most effective is a sprayer, an agronomist at one of the large agricultural holdings told Izvestia. There are situations in the field that you just can't get there because of the weather conditions.
— UAVs could also be useful in the field of road construction for surveying the area and in areas related to logistics and transport. The drone should become an improvised tool for workers, a tool used for its intended purpose, be it inspection, monitoring, movement, delivery. At the same time, if we are talking about drones used for delivery or in the agricultural sector, then we also need to provide infrastructure for the use of drones, and this is more difficult and more expensive," said Elena Basan, head of the target search laboratory "Advanced Technologies of Unmanned Automated Systems", associate professor at the Institute of Computer Technology and Information Security of the Southern Federal University.
Drones are also used in Russia in the field of waste management: in September, the Russian Environmental Operator (REO) announced that from 2022 to 2025 it had conducted a large-scale inspection of municipal solid waste landfills using UAVs and its own algorithms based on neural networks. Technology has allowed us to record more than 7.5 thousand violations. Drones make it possible to see the landfill completely, to record violations that are difficult to notice during routine inspections, the REO noted.
According to Elena Basan, despite the great economic potential of UAVs, restrictions on their use are logical and justified. Any indulgences should be adjusted in terms of the level of risk and benefit, the specialist concluded.
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