Putin Urges Russian Regions to Adopt Moscow’s Playbook for Autonomous Systems
President Vladimir Putin has called on Russia’s regions to replicate Moscow’s approach to drones and autonomous technologies, framing the capital as a national model for building an economy around unmanned systems.
Russia’s regions are being asked to accelerate the adoption of autonomous technologies by following Moscow’s example. Speaking at a meeting on the development of autonomous systems, Vladimir Putin said that the capital’s experience with drones and unmanned solutions should serve as a benchmark for the rest of the country.
Sharing What Already Works
Putin specifically addressed Sergey Sobyanin, proposing a structured exchange of experience between Moscow and regional governments. The focus, he said, should be on scaling solutions that are already operational rather than experimenting from scratch.
The president stressed that progress in autonomous technologies will stall without active participation from regional authorities. He urged governors to make fuller use of existing regulatory tools and reminded them that new frameworks for civilian drones are already in place.
He also recalled that in 2025, new nationwide rules governing civilian drone airspace were introduced. Those changes simplified legal drone flights and expanded the use of unmanned systems across industries including transport, construction, industrial operations, and territorial monitoring.
Beyond Experiments
At the same time, Putin cautioned against treating autonomy as a purely technical exercise. The rollout of drones and AI-driven systems, he said, must account for public benefit and safety.
Autonomous technologies should improve quality of life and economic efficiency—not remain isolated pilot projects. In that framing, Moscow is not just a test bed, but a template: a city whose drone policies, data infrastructure, and regulatory approach are now being positioned as a national standard for how Russia wants its unmanned future to scale.
