President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated during a speech to mark Ukrainian Statehood Day and the baptism of Kievan Rus’ – Ukraine that the country produces 10 million drones a year and intends to increase this figure to 20 million. He also announced an expansion of capabilities for deep strikes and stated that Ukraine has been withstanding a full-scale war for over 1,600 days.
Briefly about the main points
- Zelenskyy announced plans to produce 10 million drones a year.
- The President has set a target of increasing volumes to 20 million.
- Ukraine is building up its long-range strike capabilities, Mr Zelenskyy said.
- The Ministry of Defence reports that more than 800,000 targets have been struck by drones since the start of the year.
- The 95% UAVs procured for the Defence Forces are manufactured in Ukraine.
The President’s statements on Ukrainian Statehood Day
Speaking on 15 July, Zelensky stated that Ukraine is developing capabilities for “deep strike“. According to him, there are no locations within Russia that are out of Ukraine’s reach. This is a statement by the president regarding Ukraine’s long-range strike capabilities.
The President also emphasised that the country, which was given 72 hours at the start of the full-scale invasion, has held out for over 1,600 days. He stated that Russia had underestimated Ukraine and that now, he said, even Russian propagandists recognise it as a strong nation.
«What we need is not a Russia without petrol, but a Ukraine without Russia,» said Zelenskyy.
Drones have become the primary means of striking targets
The figure of 10 million drones per year cited by the president should be regarded as the stated production volume or production capacity.
At the same time, figures from the Ministry of Defence highlight the scale of drone use. Since the start of 2026, the Defence Forces have, according to the Ministry, confirmed over 800,000 strikes on Russian targets by drones. The Ministry of Defence estimates that as of UAV accounts for over 90% of enemy targets hit.
The Ministry also reported that in March, interceptor drones shot down more than 33,000 Russian UAVs. Since the start of the year, the armed forces have received more than twice as many of these systems as they did in the whole of 2025.
Procurement and collaboration with partners
Ukrainian manufacturers already supply the majority of state-procured drones. According to the Ministry of Defence, the 95% UAVs that the Defence Procurement Agency is purchasing for the Defence Forces are manufactured in Ukraine. In less than five months of 2026, the military received 485,000 UAVs and other equipment worth 31.4 billion hryvnias via DOT-Chain Defence.
International cooperation is also helping to scale up production. On 7 July, Ukraine and Denmark signed Drone Deal; since then, the number of such agreements with partners has risen to nine. In April, Ukraine and Norway announced their first joint production of Ukrainian mid-strike drones in Norway, where they plan to manufacture several thousand drones for the Defence Forces.
