State will stimulate development of UAV production in Ukraine on a systematic basis: Yuliia Svyrydenko

The state will focus on systematically stimulating development of UAV production in Ukraine. This was announced by First Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Economy of Ukraine Yuliia Svyrydenko during a conference titled “UAV Production: Opportunities and Challenges” held in Kyiv on January 14, 2023.

“For Ukraine, the issue of production and supply of any weapons to the front is a matter of saving the lives of our defenders and our citizens. And, ultimately, it is a matter of victory. We know the needs of the front. That is, the actual volume of the market. And we must understand how much domestic producers are ready to produce today. What are the bottlenecks that hinder increasing production. What actions are required from the Government to solve all the existing problems.

We are focused on systematically stimulating development of production, with a view to the future. Stimulating growth of small producers, expanding production of large ones, opening access to financing inside and outside the country,” said Yuliia Svyrydenko.

In turn, Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov said: “Thanks to the Army of Drones project within the UNITED24 platform, we provide our military with the best ‘birds’ and stimulate development of Ukrainian UAV manufacturers. For 7 months of the project, almost 1,600 drones worth UAH 3.3 billion have already been contracted at the request of the military. Some of them are drones produced by Ukrainian manufacturers. The market of Ukrainian UAVs has great potential. Together with the government team, we are working systematically to support our manufacturers and simplify many bureaucratic issues. This will allow the business to develop and scale even faster.”

During the conference, representatives of the Government, the Armed Forces, volunteers and manufacturers discussed development of the UAV industry, as well as improvement of the applicable regulatory framework, models of financing, long-term business development, current problems and ways to address them.