Zelenskyy chairs top defense meeting, directs accelerated manufacturing of UAVs, munitions

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting of the General Headquarters, at which special attention was paid to the production of Ukrainian drones, the head of state said in a corresponding message on social media.

"Special attention is paid to the production of all types of necessary drones, in particular FPV and ammunition for them. Ukraine must become capable of providing all the necessary needs for drones," the president wrote.

Representatives of the Ministry of Strategic Industries, the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff of the Armed Forces reported at the meeting. Zelenskyy noted that hundreds of Ukrainian companies are involved in key industries, and their number is increasing.

"The year 2024 should be a time of significant growth of domestic defense production. We will ensure contracting and the budget," he said.

In addition, the meeting traditionally discussed the situation at the front, namely: the specific needs of the military in specific positions.

Zelenskyy concluded by thanking the Ukrainian pilots for the destruction of the large Russian amphibious assault ship Novocherkassk. You can watch the video of the moment of the hit, presumably by Storm Shadow missiles, here.

On December 19, 2023, the president promised that Ukraine would produce 1 million drones next year.

Minister of Strategic Industries Alexander Kamyshin later clarified that the head of state meant only FPV drones. According to him, already in December, Ukraine produces more than 50,000 FPV drones per month.

The Ministry of Defense said that Ukraine is increasing the production of kamikaze drones to compensate for the lack of artillery shells at the front.