Digital sky of Russia

2025

Platform launch

On November 4, 2025, the Digital Sky platform for the integration of drones into agriculture was launched in four regions of Russia. The new system has begun work in the Samara, Orenburg, Sakhalin and Jewish Autonomous Regions, where there is an experimental legal regime for the use of drones.

This is reported by TASS with reference to the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of 27.10.2025 No. 1663 on the expansion of the experimental legal regime for the operation of unmanned aircraft systems. The Digital Sky program is designed to automate processes and ensure safe interaction of all participants in air traffic. It will collect and display airspace data, monitor the technical condition of unmanned systems and monitor digital flights in test areas.

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Фото: Freepik

As noted in the resolution, "special attention will be paid to ensuring the safety of all participants (including those who are not subjects of the experimental legal regime) of the" seamless digital sky "air traffic - a single intelligent digital interaction environment."

The Digital Sky architecture provides for the integration of previously created services specializing in detecting violations in UAV flights. The platform will combine the capabilities of Nebosvod (systems for detecting and monitoring the movement of unmanned aircraft) and Ranavia (a service for supporting the commercial operation of unmanned aircraft systems, analyzing the reliability of equipment and investigating incidents). In the future, other services from the organizations participating in the experiment will be connected to the platform.

According to TASS, the experimental regime has already shown impressive results: in the Samara region, since the beginning of 2025, drones have processed 170 thousand hectares of farmland - 8.5 times more than in the entire 2024.^[1]

In Russia, on behalf of Vladimir Putin, a drone identification system was created to launch a single digital sky

In Russia, on behalf of President Vladimir Putin, a system for remote identification of unmanned aircraft has been created to launch a single digital sky. The development in June 2025 was presented by the Russian company ZALA together with the engineering association Azimut. Read more here.

Development of the concept of "digital sky of Russia"

JSC GLONASS"" together with NTI platform"" and a working group of experts has prepared a draft concept of "Digital Sky Russia," aimed at combining air, space and digital spaces into a single system. Work on the document should be completed on July 16, 2025, after which it will be sent for approval to the relevant departments. This was reported by the press service of the company on May 22, 2025.

According to RBC, the development of the concept is carried out on behalf of Andrei Belousov, which he gave in 2023 in the status of First Deputy Prime Minister. After completion of the work, the document will be sent for approval to the Ministry of Transport, Roscosmos, the Ministry of Economic Development and other departments.

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Фото: Freepik

The concept involves the creation of a single environment that combines all existing technologies and platforms from the spheres of air, space and digital spaces. One of the key ideas of the project is the introduction of end-to-end intersectoral regulation - unmanned aircraft will have to take into account both air, space and IT legislation.

To create a "digital sky," it is proposed to introduce a new branch of law - "digital transport law." The document also involves the creation of a single network for the transmission and processing of data using satellites and drones using artificial intelligence. This network will link the infrastructure of space, air and earth, forming a new kind of critical information infrastructure.

For the functioning of the new system, it is proposed to implement several key areas:

• creating a digital model of airspace and low orbits controlled by artificial intelligence and humans;
• the introduction of a satellite-to-satellite communication standard ("inter-satellite roaming");
• regulation of aerospace networks as important infrastructure facilities;
• Troubleshooting communication problems between different sets
• development of standards for collaboration of different network elements in different orbits and levels.

The authors of the document note that low Earth orbit is a global resource, the excessive use of which can make access difficult for everyone due to the load of thousands of satellites of different operators.^[2]

2024: Building the System

GLONASS JSC, NTI Platform and participants in unmanned civil aviation have developed the concept of the Digital Sky of Russia. Alexey Raikevich, General Director of GLONASS JSC, spoke about it in February 2024.

He noted that by February 2024, about 70% of the territory of the Russian Federation does not have mobile communications, therefore, for the safe integration of unmanned aircraft into a single airspace, it is extremely important to develop hybrid communication networks.

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Фото: Unsplash

Connectivity plays a key role in solving the problem of building a "Digital Sky." GLONASS JSC, being a state virtual mobile operator with maximum radio coverage in Russia, has taken an important step in this direction - we have developed and tested a unique satellite communication technology using noise-resistant noise-like signals, "Raikevich emphasized.

According to him, the created technology has no analogues in the market, it uses the current Russian satellite infrastructure and excludes dependence on departed foreign satellite operators. The possibilities of using this solution are much wider than unmanned aviation, it is aimed primarily at improving the safety of millions of vehicles that move in areas without cellular communications by using satellite channels for emergency notification based on the ERA-GLONASS state information system, the head of GLONASS JSC emphasized.

Within the framework of the concept of "Digital Sky of Russia," digital transport law will also be created and cross-sectoral regulation will be introduced. According to the plans of GLONASS JSC, the reference model of the unified Digital Sky architecture will be ready to scale into the markets of friendly states. At the same time, the timing of the launch of the system by February 20, 2024 is not called.^[3]

Notes