On 4 November 2026, Intelligence Online reported that operators from Russia were piloting drones for Myanmar‘s China-backed military junta on the front lines of the country’s civil war.
The Russians were on the front lines in Shan State and the Bago Region. They were conducting training missions there and occasionally providing operational support.
The junta’s military had adopted low-cost suicide drones similar to those Russia had tested in Ukraine.
On 10 December 2025, Intelligence Online reported that the junta had received anti-drone equipment and a batch of Orlan-30 spy drones from Russia in November 2025. The junta was already using this equipment against armed opposition groups.
Efforts Category: Russia’s Military Support of the regime in Myanmar
