News Feed

Minister: Ukraine already produced 50,000 FPV drones in December

by Nate Ostiller and The Kyiv Independent news desk December 20, 2023 4:01 PM 1 min read

FPV drones hanging on a wall at an Adam Group base in Donetsk Oblast on Aug. 3, 2023. (Photo: Francis Farrell/Kyiv Independent)

This audio is created with AI assistance

Ukraine has already produced 50,000 first-person-view (FPV) drones in December, Strategic Industries Minister Oleksandr Kamyshin said on Dec. 20.

FPV drones are cheap to manufacture and can be precisely flown into targets. They have the capability of destroying much more expensive military equipment.

Kamyshin said in October that Ukraine aimed to massively scale up its production of drones to tens of thousands per month.

He added on Dec. 10 that Ukraine has the capability to produce 10,000 mid-range drones and 1,000 long-range drones, which can fly more than 1,000 kilometers, in 2024.

The full-scale invasion has fueled a significant increase in the production of drones, as well as their technical innovation.

Ukraine's "Army of Drones" is a joint initiative of the Digital Transformation Ministry and the governmental UNITED24 fundraising platform. It was launched in July 2022, with Star Wars actor Mark Hamill as the initiative's ambassador.

In addition to procuring drones, the initiative is tasked with repairing drones and training soldiers on how to operate them.

Authors: Nate Ostiller, The Kyiv Independent news desk

Comments

News Feed

5:22 AM

Norway announces more than $270 million in aid for Ukraine's energy sector.

Norway has increased its total support for Ukraine’s energy sector to 3 billion kroner (around $274.2 million) as part of its broader aid plan, according to the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

2:29 AM

Orban calls Zelensky's victory plan 'terrifying,' urges negotiations with Russia.

"What (Zelensky) outlined yesterday in the Ukrainian parliament is more than terrifying," Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban wrote, urging EU leaders to start talks with Moscow "as soon as possible."

12:37 AM

Trump blames Zelensky, Biden for Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

While Trump was quick to blame U.S. and Ukrainian leadership for the full-scale war during an interview on Oct. 17, he made no mention of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

11:36 PM

Ukraine not developing weapons of mass destruction, Foreign Ministry says.

"We officially refute the insinuations of unnamed sources in the Bild publication regarding Ukraine's alleged plans to develop weapons of mass destruction."

11:02 PM

US revising F-16 training to focus on younger pilots, WSJ reports.

The shift could extend the training program by months, delaying the Ukrainian squadron's battlefield readiness even further.

10:20 PM

War update

Ukraine war latest: Zelensky says he told Trump that either Ukraine will join NATO or pursue nuclear weapons.

9:15 PM

Photos

Coming of age amidst war (PHOTO)

8:41 PM

Zelensky walks back earlier comments on Ukraine's possible plan to obtain nuclear weapons.

"We never spoke about...that we are preparing to create nuclear weapons or something like this," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

7:58 PM

Lawmaker charged with illegally enriching herself by almost $500,000.

While the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) did not name the individual in question, Ukrainska Pravda reported, citing sources, that it was Iryna Allakhverdiieva from President Volodymyr Zelensky's Servant of the People party.

6:58 PM

US announces new sanctions against Chinese, Russian producers of drones used in Ukraine.

The two Chinese companies — Limbach and Redlepus — have been working in tandem with IEMZ Kupol, a subsidiary of the Kremlin-owned weapons company Almaz-Antey, to create the drones, the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) said in a statement.

6:27 PM

War crimes

Watch our new investigative documentary: 'Shadows Across the River'

6:08 PM

Opinion

Opinion: Trading territories means trading people

5:19 PM

Ukraine signs bilateral security agreement with Greece.

"Greece is ready to continue meeting Ukraine's most urgent defense needs," President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on X.

4:40 PM

Zelensky says he told Trump that either Ukraine will join NATO or pursue nuclear weapons.

"Either Ukraine will have nuclear weapons, which will serve as protection, or it must be part of some kind of alliance. Apart from NATO, we do not know of such an effective alliance," President Volodymyr Zelensky said that he had told Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.

4:12 PM

Zelensky signs bill on customs reform into law.

The legislation, approved by the parliament last month, was pushed through after prolonged pressure from Western partners and Ukrainian business associations. The reform is also a necessary step toward Kyiv's accession to the EU.

12:40 PM

(Updated: October 17, 2024 4:00 pm)

Business

Russia’s war economy could be boosted by Middle East conflict, experts say

3:50 PM

'First step to World War' — North Korea preparing 10,000 soldiers to join Russia's war, Zelensky confirms.

According to military intelligence, North Korean officers are already in the occupied territories of Ukraine.

2:54 PM

NATO armies built on Korean War-era military principles, Zaluzhnyi says.

"There will be no war of the 1953 model. I am talking about Korean War. It ended in summer 2023 in Ukraine, when two professional armies of more than a million personnel each faced each other in the battlefield," said Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Ukraine's former commander-in-chief and current ambassador to the U.K.

2:43 PM

Ukraine's draft system burdened with Soviet heritage, fixing it will take time, Zaluzhnyi says.

Ukraine had to change its approach to mobilization as it carries Soviet influences, but much more time is needed for a proper reform, Ukrainian ambassador to the U.K. Valerii Zaluzhyni said at an event on Oct. 17 in response to a Kyiv Independent reporter.

1:14 PM

Getting out of 'protracted' war with Russia 'almost impossible,' Zaluzhnyi says.

"We end in a state of protracted war. In my personal opinion, a way out of which protracted war seems... almost impossible," said Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Ukraine's former commander-in-chief and recently appointed ambassador to the U.K.

12:43 PM

Victory plan includes Western-supplied missile package to force Russia toward talks, Zelensky says in Brussels.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Oct. 17 that the victory plan includes placing conventional missile capabilities in Ukraine that would either force Russia to accept negotiations or destroy its military targets.

11:58 AM

Russian ships ineffective for missile strikes, used to distract Ukraine's defenses, Navy says.

Dmytro Pletenchuk, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian Navy, said that if Russia deploys several cruise missile carriers to the sea, it does not mean they will be used for an attack.

7:27 PM

(Updated: October 17, 2024 11:46 am)

War analysis

Minister: Ukraine already produced 50,000 FPV drones in December

Most popular

18 North Korean soldiers already deserted positions by Ukraine's border, intelligence sources tell Suspilne

Saudi Arabia's planned oil production hike threatens Russia's war economy, Politico reports

Ukraine confirms strike on Russian airbase in North Caucasus housing Su-34, Su-27 jets

Ukraine reportedly reclaims territory in north of Kharkiv Oblast, almost entire Russian regiment destroyed

Lithuania confiscates military goods from Kaliningrad-Moscow trains, gives them to Ukraine

News Feed

Norway announces more than $270 million in aid for Ukraine's energy sector.

Orban calls Zelensky's victory plan 'terrifying,' urges negotiations with Russia.

Trump blames Zelensky, Biden for Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Ukraine not developing weapons of mass destruction, Foreign Ministry says.

US revising F-16 training to focus on younger pilots, WSJ reports.

Ukraine war latest: Zelensky says he told Trump that either Ukraine will join NATO or pursue nuclear weapons.

Coming of age amidst war (PHOTO)

Zelensky walks back earlier comments on Ukraine's possible plan to obtain nuclear weapons.

Lawmaker charged with illegally enriching herself by almost $500,000.

US announces new sanctions against Chinese, Russian producers of drones used in Ukraine.

Watch our new investigative documentary: 'Shadows Across the River'

Opinion: Trading territories means trading people

Ukraine signs bilateral security agreement with Greece.

Zelensky says he told Trump that either Ukraine will join NATO or pursue nuclear weapons.

Zelensky signs bill on customs reform into law.

Russia’s war economy could be boosted by Middle East conflict, experts say

'First step to World War' — North Korea preparing 10,000 soldiers to join Russia's war, Zelensky confirms.

NATO armies built on Korean War-era military principles, Zaluzhnyi says.

Ukraine's draft system burdened with Soviet heritage, fixing it will take time, Zaluzhnyi says.

Getting out of 'protracted' war with Russia 'almost impossible,' Zaluzhnyi says.

Victory plan includes Western-supplied missile package to force Russia toward talks, Zelensky says in Brussels.

Russian ships ineffective for missile strikes, used to distract Ukraine's defenses, Navy says.

As Russian tank losses in Ukraine pass 9,000, here's what you need to know

Zelensky arrives in Brussels to pitch Ukraine's victory plan to European Council.

Ukraine’s southern forces release footage of strike on Russian training facility.

Editors' Picks

Poland-Ukraine relations deteriorate as historical grievances resurface, threatening to stall Kyiv’s EU accession

Recurring failures to launch Satan ICBM throw shadow on Putin's nuclear saber-rattling

What the fall of Vuhledar would mean for Russia's war in Ukraine

Biden-Zelensky talks: Ukrainian soldiers want firepower to win but question if US wants Russia defeated

Subscribe