Distinguished colleagues! Fellow Ukrainians!

We hereby begin a regular meeting of the Government.

Security and defence always come first. We pay top priority to this.

At the initiative of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a separate type of military force has been created within the Armed Forces of Ukraine - the Unmanned Systems Forces. Ukraine is the first country in the world to complete its manning.

Modern warfare is impossible without a powerful army of drones that operates effectively and interacts with other types of the armed forces.

Ukraine has made a real breakthrough in the production and use of drones. The state has already contracted 1 million drones, and 500 Ukrainian companies produce UAVs.

We will pursue this. The Government, on order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, has approved a draft law that legally establishes the existence of the Unmanned Systems Forces. We make appropriate changes to the law on the Armed Forces.

After the vote in Parliament and the President's approval, the process of legalising the new type of troops will be completed.

Moreover, we allocate UAH 24 billion for the purchase of drones for the Security and Defence Forces.

Ukraine relies on innovations, asymmetric responses and approaches in the war against russia - this is the key to our resilience and future victory.

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The country is actively preparing for the new school year.

The priority is the safety of children and the maximum transition to offline learning wherever possible.

This year, the state budget has provided UAH 2.5 billion for the construction of school shelters and UAH 1 billion for the purchase of school buses, as a priority for frontline and border communities.

Today we transfer about UAH 5 billion of additional subsidies from the state budget for shelters in schools in Chernihiv, Kherson, Kharkiv, Sumy, Odesa, Mykolaiv, Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions.

Also, we allocate almost UAH 216 million for school buses, of which more than 120 have already been purchased this year. We expect that thanks to the allocated funds and co-financing from local budgets, at least 500 school buses will be purchased in 2024.

This, will ensure regular transportation of schoolchildren to educational institutions that meet all safety criteria and where children can study full-time.

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Supplying water to the south of the country is another key task.

After russia had committed an unprecedented terrorist act on the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station, the Government promptly allocated funds for the construction of the Ingulets - Pivdenne Reservoir water main. Its four lines are already in operation and thousands of residents of Dnipropetrovsk region have access to potable water today.

But it is equally important to provide water to residents of other regions.

Today we approve the Integrated Water Supply Programme for the Territories Affected by the War. It covers 9 regions: Dnipropetrovsk, Kirovohrad, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Kharkiv and Kherson.

The programme envisages the construction of water supply systems, reconstruction and overhaul of hydraulic structures, clearing of riverbeds, and engineering of artesian wells.

As a result of its implementation, Mykolaiv region should be provided with water within a year.

And by the end of 2025, yet another 2 million Ukrainians in the Dnipro, Donetsk, Mykolaiv, Kherson and Kharkiv regions will have access to water.

I thank everyone who is defending and rebuilding Ukraine.

I thank everyone who makes us stronger.

I thank our partners for their support and solidarity.

Together we will win and recover!

Thank you for your attention! Glory to Ukraine!