Ukraine Poised to Expand Drone Production, But Funding Falls Short

Ukraine is already manufacturing many long-range drones, but to stay ahead of Russia in this regard, funding needs to be increased, stated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

"We started producing our long-range drones, and also started working on the missile program, and also effectively. Today we need money. To invest money in our production. And today I shared it with the Prime Minister [of the Netherlands] and with other partners. We are working so that we can get the money," Zelenskyy said at a briefing in Zaporizhizhia on September 2.

In an interview with CNN on September 2, Ukraine's Minister of Strategic Industries Oleksandr Kamyshin noted that “it’s embarrassing to be capable of producing weapons but not have the funds."

“We have drones and missiles capable of reaching 1,500 km into Russia. However, due to a lack of funding, we are producing half as many as we could this year. Next year, we could produce three times more than our current potential funding allows."

“It’s crucial to have enough financial support from our partners. We have demonstrated to our Western partners that we can produce locally; all we need is sufficient funding,” Kamyshin said.

On August 24, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Ukrainian forces had for the first time struck the Russian army with the new weapon—a rocket drone named 'Palianytsia.' According to Zelenskyy, this weapon represents a “completely new class” of military technology.