Zelenskyy instructs Defense Ministry to increase orders for Ukrainian drones

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has instructed Defense Minister Rustem Umerov to increase orders for Ukrainian drones for military operations.

Zelenskyy announced this on the Telegram channel, the Ukrainian News agency reports.

The President announced that he held a meeting with the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi, the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Anatolii Barhylevych and the Minister of Defense Umerov regarding the situation at the front, in particular on the Pokrovsk, Kurakhove, Toretsk, and Kupiansk axes, as well as regarding the Kursk operation and the destruction of russian forces nearby state border.

Umerov reported on the supply of Ukrainian-made drones for the Defense Forces.

"The approved supply plans are being implemented, and I am grateful to all manufacturers for this. I instructed the Minister of Defense to further increase the order of Ukrainian drones for our respective operations," the President said.

Zelenskyy also spoke about the shift in the supply of military aid to the front from partners.

"There are important changes in matters regarding supplies from partners for the front - we are recording an increase in supplies in accordance with support packages. The results in the supply of artillery have become better," he noted.

As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, in 10 months of 2024, the Ministry of Defense together with the Ministry of Digital Transformation contracted 1.6 million unmanned aerial vehicles for UAH 114 billion.

In early October, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal announced that 1.5 million drones will be produced in Ukraine by the end of 2024.

In October, Zelenskyy announced that the United States would allocate another USD 800 million for the production of drones in Ukraine.

In December 2023, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that in 2024 Ukraine would produce 1 million drones.