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Ukraine has delivered more than 200,000 domestically-produced drones to front-line units so far in December, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov wrote in a Facebook post on Dec. 18.
"Alongside equipment from our partners, more and more Ukrainian-made weapons are already operating on the frontlines — a joint effort of defenders and manufacturers," Umerov said.
Domestically manufactured drones help Kyiv close the ammunition gap as they face Russian forces with more artillery shells on the battlefield.
Ukraine also aims to ramp up the production of long-range drones and missiles as part of the country's resilience plan.
Zelensky previously said Ukraine aims to produce at least 30,000 long-range drones in 2025, used to target Russian warships, naval bases, oil refineries, and airfields inside occupied territories and deep behind enemy lines.
The Unmanned Systems Forces was established in September to improve Ukraine's work with drones, form special drone-specific units, and improve the production, training, and innovation of unmanned vehicles.
Various aerial, naval, and ground drones have been developed and often successfully used for reconnaissance, combat, and other tasks throughout the full-scale with Russia.
The Ukrainian military has proven to be a pioneer in drone technology, using innovative ways to undermine Russia's material and numerical advantage.
Aerial drones have been used to ram into Russian helicopters or drop molten metal on ground positions, while naval drones were a key component in upending Russia's dominance in the Black Sea.
In turn, Russia has also widely deployed drone capabilities during the full-scale invasion, both on the battlefield and to attack Ukrainian cities and infrastructure.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
