Ukraine plans to increase the production of unmanned systems in 2026 to produce more than 7 million drones, announced Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister, Serhii Boiev, at the OFDEF conference.
According to the Ukrainian portal Militarnyi, the conference aims to coordinate defense support to Ukraine from partner countries. At the event, Boiev stated that, in 2026, Ukraine will need 120 billion dollars to defend itself, stabilize the front line, and destroy Russian targets.
Half of this amount will be covered by Ukraine with resources from its own budget and loans from the European Union, but the remaining 60 billion dollars are expected to come from its partners, in the form of security assistance.
Boiev mentioned that air defense and missile defense systems, missiles for these systems, Ukrainian-made drones, and long-range artillery munitions are essential priorities for 2026.
“Ukraine calls on its partners to direct about 80% of security assistance to these three areas. Unmanned technologies have become the foundation of asymmetric defense and have enabled the creation of an attack zone with a depth of up to 20 kilometers,” he said.
The next objective is to expand this zone to 100 kilometers, hitting Russian targets at operational depth. These enhancements are very relevant considering the significant increase in the production and use of cruise and ballistic missiles, as well as attack drones, from Russia.
Therefore, Ukraine urgently needs missile deliveries for its main air defense systems. “The speed of decision-making and action execution is crucial. Every interceptor means saved lives and protected infrastructure,” Boiev emphasized.
Photo: Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
