Ukraine has domestically-produced attack drones capable of flying over 1,000 kilometers, Digital Transformation Minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, said in an interview with Welt on April 1.
Kyiv has intensified its efforts to ramp up domestic production of drones, a critical tool on the battlefield, aiming to manufacture 1 million drones this year.
A series of attacks in recent months have targeted oil refineries deep inside Russia. Multiple refineries reportedly lost capacity after the attacks and Russia is planning to reduce diesel exports from its Black and Baltic Sea ports in April to the lowest level in five months.
"Most of the drones that attacked Russian oil refineries have a range of 700 to 1,000 kilometers, but now there are models that can fly over 1000 km," Fedorov said.
In February, he acknowledged Ukraine had drones with a range of up to 1,000 and said up to 10 companies were involved in their production and advancement.
Fedorov also said in the April 1 interview that the outcome of the war will likely depend on drone technology but at present it is impossible to say if Russian or Ukraine has the upper hand.
Fedorov also said prototype drones with AI technology could appear on the battlefield by the end of 2024.
President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree in February to create a new branch of Ukraine's Armed Forces specifically dedicated to drones.
The Unmanned Systems Forces will reportedly focus specifically on improving Ukraine's work with drones, creating special drone-specific units, ramping up training, systemizing their use, increasing production, and pushing innovation.Zelensky said in January that one of the main goals for 2024 was outpacing Russia in the production of drones.
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