The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has approved a decision to allocate another UAH 7.9 billion for drones to be purchased by the State Service for Special Communications and Information Protection.
This was stated by Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal at a government meeting on February 21, Ukrinform reports citing his Telegram.
“Today, the government has decided to allocate an additional UAH 7.9 billion for drone purchases. These funds will be redirected to the State Service for Special Communications and Information Protection, which will make the necessary procurements,” he said.
Shmyhal emphasized that the government’s objective is to increase its own weapons production to at least half of the current demand. According to him, in order to realize this goal, this year the Cabinet of Ministers has allocated a record amount of funds for the modernization of its own defense industry and the purchase of weapons.
The Prime Minister noted that Ukraine currently produces approximately one-third of the necessary weapons, with domestic production accounting for nearly 100% in the drone segment.
He also highlighted a 10-fold increase in drone production in January 2025 compared to January 2024. Furthermore, domestic production of artillery grew threefold in 2023 and 2024, while production of armored personnel carriers rose fivefold, anti-tank weapons increased twofold, and ammunition grew by 2.5 times.
As Ukrinform previously reported, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal had a conversation with the newly appointed Prime Minister of Belgium, Bart De Wever, during which he received assurances of continued support for Ukraine, particularly within the framework of the security agreement and international coalitions.
Photo: Cabinet of Ministers
Source: Government earmarks almost UAH 8B more for drone purchases
