Kyiv wants to buy 200,000 drones for Ukrainian forces

The Ukrainian authorities have decided to purchase about 200,000 drones of various designs for the Ukrainian Armed Forces by the end of the year. Earlier, Moscow accused Kiev of using drones to attack Moscow and the border areas.

The Ukrainian authorities intend to purchase up to 200,000 drones of various designs for the country's armed forces this year. This was announced to CNN by Yuri Shchigol, the head of the Ukrainian Special Service for Communications and Information Protection, which procures drones for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. He shared:

"We need both cheap and expensive drones. Drones with different types of communication. The more models we have, the more communication channels we have, the more effective our work will be."

According to Shchigol, there are about 30 companies in Ukraine that mass-produce drones. He added:

"So far, we have signed contracts for the purchase of 2,000 units, and this is only for a few weeks. Every week this process is expanded."

According to CNN, dozens of companies in the field of drone development have emerged in Ukraine in recent years. The channel also reported on a correspondent's visit to a military training ground near Kyiv, where, in the presence of Ukraine's Minister of Digital Transformation Mikhail Fedorov, drone manufacturers demonstrated their machines as part of a state tender.

Fedorov acknowledged that Ukraine has fewer tanks, planes and missiles compared to the beginning of the military operation. The "game-changer", however, is drones, which are cheap and relatively easy to produce. According to the minister, Ukraine now needs "tens of thousands" of FPV drones per month that can be controlled remotely. According to CNN, the government has incentivized manufacturers to supply the Ukrainian armed forces in the form of tax breaks and an easing of import restrictions.

Drones have already been repeatedly used in attacks for which the Russian authorities blame Kyiv. In early May, two drones exploded over the Senate Palace in the Kremlin. Later that month, several drones were used in an attack on apartment buildings in Moscow. Drones, some of which were equipped with explosives, were also involved in attacks in the Crimea, Belgorod, Kursk and Bryansk regions. More than 20 areas in Russia have banned the use of drones in the wake of these events.

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