MOSCOW, July 3. /TASS/. Russia pays close attention to developing the sphere of unmanned systems and is making a true breakthrough in this sector, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the forum "Strong Ideas for a New Time" held by the Agency for Strategic Initiatives on Thursday.

"You know, we have been paying much attention to unmanned systems lately," the Russian leader said.

"We are undoubtedly making a breakthrough in this sphere now. I have talked with some colleagues on this theme quite recently: there is good progress in robotics in general and unmanned systems in particular," he said.

Quite recently, a meeting held in Togliatti on the development of unmanned systems made a corresponding decision to support this direction, the Russian leader pointed out.

"There is a large number of interesting, creative ideas and proposals: they are being implemented and good ventures emerge. I must say that they not only attract the attention of the consumers of these items but also evoke great interest abroad," Putin said.

It is also important to develop this sector in terms of environmental protection, in particular, in the fight against forest fires, the Russian president stressed.

"New technologies will allow us to come closer to addressing these tasks, which is very important," the Russian leader explained.

"Such a vast territory and a low density of population can be seen precisely where the problem [of forest fires] manifests itself most strongly," he said.

"Beyond any doubt, we will do this within the framework of those programs that already exist," Putin said.