Russia seeks to produce up to 500 drones per day, President Volodymyr Zelensky told journalists on May 27 during a press briefing, Suspilne reported.
Moscow has significantly increased the production of various drones over the past year, which it launches almost every night to attack Ukrainian cities and front-line positions.
The Russian production surge is facilitated by imports of components from China and the recruitment of low-skilled labor, including local teenagers and workers from Africa.
"They (Russian manufacturers) are preparing to produce 300-350 drones per day. This is their real situation. They were tasked with having 500 per day," Zelensky said.
Zelensky expressed doubt that Russia could launch 1,000 drones in a single attack, but acknowledged it could become possible in the future if Russia amasses enough drones over time.
According to Zelensky, Ukraine is already capable of launching up to 100 long-range drones daily, and with the support of partners, it can catch up with Russia by producing 300-350 drones every day.
"We are very close to it. The issue is not production capacity. It is a financial issue," the president added.
Zelensky also recalled a recent successful operation by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, which used 400 small drones simultaneously and destroyed 40 pieces of Russian military hardware.
"We will show them much more than this operation," Zelensky said. Ukraine has been rapidly developing its domestic arms industry since Russia's full-scale invasion began in February 2022.
Ukraine more than doubled its production of long-range drones in 2024 compared to the previous year, which is a 22-fold increase compared to 2022. In total, 324 new types of weapons were developed in Ukraine by the end of 2024, according to Ukraine's Strategic Industries Ministry.
Ukraine has also turned to local production to address battlefield shortages and reduce dependency on foreign supplies, including new domestic artillery contracts.
Kollen Post
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