Ukraine has put more than 170 different types of of unmanned systems into service on the front line, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine’s Armed Forces Vadym Sukharevskyi said in an interview with Ukrinform published on Aug. 27.
Throughout Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukraine and Russia have heavily invested in drone technology, revolutionizing the way wars are fought.
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 Russia's lines.
According to Sukharevskyi, all long-range drones used by Kyiv are made in Ukraine. Such drones have reportedly hit Russian targets over 1,000 kilometers away.
"No foreign drones are used for deep strikes (inside Russia)," he said.
All drone manufacturers communicate directly with combat units, as they want their arms to be effective, the commander said.
Kyiv has the production capacity to produce more than three 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, Sukharevskyi said in July.
Chris York
(Updated: )
