Kiev (dpa) – The Ukrainian military on Wednesday said that it had repelled 32 out of 46 Russian drones in overnight attacks, as Kiev vowed to expand its weapons production.
Most of the Iranian-made Shahed drones that were not stopped struck areas close to the frontline, such as the southern Ukrainian region of Kherson, the Ukrainian military said on Telegram. Other drones crashed were not traced.
The information from the military could not be independently verified.
There was initially no reports about damage, which is usually reported by the civilian authorities. Explosions were heard over the southern Ukrainian port city of Odessa during the night.
Russia has been waging a full-scale war against Ukraine since February 2022. Almost every night, Russian forces launch drones to strike targets well behind the front line in Ukraine.
Ukraine’s air defence system has improved considerably in the second winter of the war thanks to Western military aid, but is still unable to reliably protect the entire country.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky later said his country could become one of the largest defence producers in the world. He is sure the Ukrainian defence industry “can definitely become one of the top 10 most productive and strongest defence complexes in the world over time, he said.
The industry is already contributing not only to strengthening the nation’s own defence capabilities amid the war, but is also significantly helping economic growth and employment, he said during his evening video address.
Zelensky praised the agreement with Western partners, above all the US, on joint weapons production as “one of our greatest political achievements this year.”
This makes it possible to build modern military equipment, he said, adding that the production of Western types of weapons is to be further localized.
Earlier, the Ukrainian defence minister said the nation has significantly increased its production of defence equipment in 2023 despite constant Russian airstrikes.
“Overall, we have tripled our production this year,” Olexander Kamyshin, Minister for Strategic Industries, told journalists.
Almost a third of the nation’s economic growth of 4.9% was generated by defence companies, he said. A total of around 300,000 workers are currently employed in the 500 or so mostly private companies.
He said Kiev has increased the production of mortar shells by a factor of 42. Production of artillery shells has almost tripled.
However, Ukraine still depends on Western supplies for shells with a NATO calibre of 155 millimetres, though Kiev is working on establishing its own production. “We are planning the transition to series production next year,” Kamyshin said.
One problem, however, is the procurement of gunpowder, which is in short supply worldwide.
In addition, Ukraine is now producing six Bohdana self-propelled howitzers per month. He said the production of infantry fighting vehicles and armoured vehicles has also increased considerably. However, this would still not be enough to cover the company’s own requirements.
Herman Smetanin, head of the state armaments company Ukroboronprom, conceded that no battle tanks were being produced but repair capacities have been expanded in the country. Western tanks are also soon to be repaired in Ukraine.
Most drones that are being used on the front line are already made in Ukraine. More than 1 million first-person-view drones – manually controlled drones whose flight can be tracked via the camera in the device – are to be produced in 2024.
In addition, more than 1,000 long-range drones with a range of over 1,000 kilometres, which can also reach targets in Russia, are to be built each year.
The company’s own missile programme is subject to the utmost secrecy. “Believe me, my colleagues and I are spending enough time on this so that we have something to reach Russian territory,” Kamyshin said.
Ukraine has been fending off a Russian invasion for over 22 months. The country is still heavily dependent on Western arms supplies.