Defense Ministry to purchase Ukrainian-made unmanned ground vehicles

Ukraine's Defense Procurement Agency (DPA) has signed an agreement with a domestic manufacturer to purchase ground-based kamikaze drones, the Defense Ministry announced on Aug. 1.

Throughout Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukraine and Russia have heavily invested in drone technology, revolutionizing warfare. For outnumbered Ukrainian forces, drones have been one of the key weapons to strike Russian warships, naval bases, oil refineries, and airfields inside occupied territories and deep behind enemy lines.

"(Ground-based kamikaze drones) are an important component of our defense strategy, as they can effectively perform tasks to defeat the enemy," Deputy Defense Minister Dmytro Klimenkov said.

According to the ministry, the DPA also signed an agreement for the supply of ammunition. The name of the manufacturer has not been disclosed.

"In total, during this visit, we signed agreements worth more than Hr 3.7 billion ($90 million)," said Maryna Bezrukova, the head of the agency.

Kyiv has the production capacity to produce more than 3 million drones a year, but requires financing from foreign partners, Deputy Strategic Industries Minister Hanna Hvozdiar said.

In the first half of 2024, Ukrainian soldiers received six times more drones than last year, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine’s Armed Forces Vadym Sukharevskyi said in July.