Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Yuri Borisov said that Russia had reached the level of top world armies in drone manufacturing.

Russia has almost caught up on its foreign rivals in respect to manufacturing military unmanned aerial vehicles, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Yuri Borisov said Wednesday.

"Just a few years ago, we were criticized for lagging seriously behind in this area. As of today, I think we have almost caught up," Borisov told Rossiya 24 broadcaster in an interview on the sidelines of the Army-2016 international military forum.

He added that Russia had reached the level of top world armies in drone manufacturing.

The Russian Defense Ministry's Army-2016 forum is taking place on September 6-11 in Kubinka, a western suburb of Moscow. The forum brings together representatives from the Russian defense industry, research institutes, universities, as well as foreign companies.