Ukraine Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal announced through his Telegram channel that “an additional UAH 5 billion ($128 million) was allocated today for the security and defense forces” which will “be used to purchase the drones necessary for our defenders on the front line.”
“We continue to support the Ukrainian army in the fight against the Russian aggressor. Every hryvnia entering the state budget in the form of taxes will go to strengthen our defense capability,” he added.
The type of drones being purchased was not specified, however, Ukraine operates a range of drone platforms from small, custom-built explosive FPVs used on the battlefield to target infantry and armor to larger fixed-wing systems used to target infrastructure over the border into Russia. Likewise, Ukraine also operates unmanned surface vessels, such as the Magura, which have been used to target Russian naval vessels off the coast of Crimea.
This latest decision shows a significant focus on increasing drone stockpiles and capabilities, which comes as Russia announced a plan to ramp up drone production to about 32,000 units a year until 2030. Drones have become a critical asset on the battlefield for either sides to attack an array of targets both along and behind points of contact. This conflict, however, will not be decided by these weapons for now as artillery capabilities (or lack there of) continues to be the driving factor behind shifts in frontline control.
