Russia has significantly increased its investment in artificial intelligence (AI), allocating a substantial portion of its state budget toward AI-driven military research. This funding aims to enhance Russia’s technological edge in modern warfare, particularly in AI-enabled military applications. Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine marked the first major conflict with widespread AI use. Ukraine, supported by U.S. AI firms, successfully countered Russian forces, prompting Russia to accelerate AI integration in command systems, drones, and air defense networks. Russia’s focus and rapid development of AI has given it an advantage against Western weaponry regardless of the outcome of its invasion of Ukraine. Russia’s AI development traces back to early Soviet experiments in the 1960s. It was not after its illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014, however, that Russia’s military AI development accelerated.
Russia Capitalizes on Development of Artificial Intelligence in its Military Strategy – Jamestown
