Minister: Ukraine to produce one million drones per year

Ukrainian Digital Transformations Minister Mykhailo Fedorov has said that Ukraine will reach its goal of producing one million drones per year.

Fedorov made these remarks at the "Ukraine. Year 2024" forum on February 25, according to The Kyiv Independent.

High-ranking Ukrainian officials met to discuss Ukraine’s future at the “Ukraine. Year 2024” forum on February 25, one day after the second anniversary of Russia’s full-scale war.

The forum discussed achieving Ukraine’s goals in the war, developing its defense and security forces, implementing Ukraine’s peace formula, ensuring economic growth and integration into world markets, security guarantees, the status of its military-industrial complex, and protecting the lives of Ukrainians.

“At the end of last year, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced a plan that more than a million drones would be produced this year. Now the entire government team is working on this, and active contracting took place in January and February. Hundreds of thousands of drones have already been contracted, and this is the goal will be completed," Fedorov said.

Fedorov also promised more reconnaissance aircraft, helicopters, kamikaze drones, sea drones, and electronic warfare systems in 2024.

Over 90 per cent of the drones currently being used on the front line in Ukraine are Ukrainian-made, he added.

Drones have been a key tool in Ukraine's defence against Russia's war. In his nightly address on January 29, Zelenskyy noted that one of Ukraine's top priorities for 2024 is the production of drones.

Zelenskyy also signed a decree on February 6 creating a separate branch of Ukraine's Armed Forces dedicated to drones. The Unmanned Systems Forces will reportedly focus specifically on improving Ukraine's work with drones, creating special drone-specific units, ramping up training, systemising their use, increasing production, and pushing innovation.

Among those in attendance at the "Ukraine. Year 2024" forum will be Defence Minister Rustem Umerov, Strategic Industries Minister Oleksandr Kamyshin, Digital Transformation Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine’s Armed Forces Vadym Sukharevskyi, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, Verkhovna Rada Chairman Ruslan Stefanchuk, First Deputy Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko, Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets, and Foreign Affairs Minister Dmytro Kuleba.