Volodymyr Zelenskiy
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Tuesday directed the formation of a distinct branch of Ukraine’s armed forces dedicated to drones, which he and military officials say are critical in the war against Russia.
Zelenskiy signed a proclamation directing the government and general staff of the armed forces to work out issues on the creation within the Ukrainian armed forces of a separate force for drone systems.
“I have just signed a decree which will launch the creation of a separate branch within our armed forces — a drone systems force”, Zelenskiy noted.
“This is not a question for the future. Rather, it must provide concrete results very shortly. This year must be decisive in a great many aspects. And clearly on the battlefield. Drone systems have shown their effectiveness on land, in the skies, and on the seas”, Zelenskiy continued.
Ukraine’s Minister for Digital Transformation, Mykhailo Fedorov, stated that the separate branch would provide a powerful impetus to the military’s technological development.
He claimed that drones had fundamentally changed the situation on the battlefield in the last year. They are efficient in preventing Russian strikes and backing up counterattacks by Ukraine’s armed forces.
As per Zelenskiy’s decree, the study’s findings would be submitted to the policy-making National Security and Defence Council.
Since Moscow’s invasion two years ago this month, Zelenskiy has emphasized drones, as well as local and international production, as a crucial component in the war against Russia.
In December, the president pledged that Ukraine would develop a million drones by 2024.
Ukraine’s government has stated that it plans to build tens of thousands of drones per month. There are no current production estimates available, although drone production has increased significantly since the beginning of the war, with dozens of companies developing and producing various models.
Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, the commander in chief of Ukraine’s armed forces, claimed in a media interview last week that drones were vital to the war’s conduct.
“Crucially, it is these unmanned systems – such as drones – along with other types of advanced weapons, that provide the best way for Ukraine to avoid being drawn into a positional war, where we do not possess the advantage”, Zaluzhnyi added.
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