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Turkey issues licenses for producing combat drones in Ukraine

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Turkey issues licenses for producing combat drones in Ukraine
A Bayraktar TB2 on display at the Lithuanian Air Force base in Siauliai, Lithuania on July 6, 2022, acquired for Ukraine thanks to a Lithuanian crowdfunding program. (Petras Malukas/AFP via Getty Images

The Turkish company Baykar has received licenses to produce Bayraktar and Akıncı combat drones in Ukraine, the newspaper Yeni Akit reported on June 22, citing the company’s CEO Haluk Bayraktar.

The production of drones is expected to start in 2025 and the total investment into the project is expected to amount to $95.5 million, the newspaper wrote.

Baykar founded Avia Ventures LLC in Ukraine in 2019 with the aim of opening two factories in Ukraine.

Ukraine’s Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov announced in 2022 that, based on an agreement between Ankara and Kyiv, Baykar would open a factory in Ukraine to produce Bayraktar drones.

This should also include training facilities for pilots, Reznikov added.

The Bayraktar is a medium-altitude long-endurance unmanned combat aerial vehicle. Turkey has been supplying Bayraktar drones to Ukraine over the past few years.

Russia is also seeking foreign assistance with drone production and working with Iran to construct a drone factory on Russian territory, according to media reports.

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Martin Fornusek

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Martin Fornusek is a reporter for the Kyiv Independent, specializing in international and regional politics, history, and disinformation. Based in Lviv, Martin often reports on international politics, with a focus on analyzing developments related to Ukraine and Russia. His career in journalism began in 2021 after graduating from Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, earning a Master's degree in Conflict and Democracy Studies. Martin has been invited to speak on Times Radio, France 24, Czech Television, and Radio Free Europe. He speaks English, Czech, and Ukrainian.

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The list includes Denys Shmyhal, Ukraine's defense minister and previously the longest-serving prime minister, Digital Transformation Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov, Deputy Presidential Office head and ex-commander Pavlo Palisa, and Sergiy Kyslytsya, the first deputy foreign minister and one of Ukraine's key negotiators.

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