Over 200 companies have started drone production to boost counteroffensive – Ukraine’s PM

More than 200 Ukrainian companies began developing drones, growing domestic production by a hundredfold in a year, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said.

The minister said that the defense industry has radically changed in the wake of Russia's full-scale war, encouraging private companies to make the "path of a drone from development to its purchase as short as possible."

The drone's path from development to purchase is now as short as possible. Over the year, drone production has increased a hundredfold. More than 200 Ukrainian companies have started developing drones, Shmyhal said during his speech at the parliament.

One of the government's priorities is implementing a rapid recovery program, allocating over $1,5 billion for various recovery programs.

Shmyhal's statement comes as Ukrainian innovators ramp up their efforts to help the military better defend themselves by developing new types of drones – such as ones that are resistant to Russia's powerful electronic warfare that often jams them.

The government's eRestoration program is being actively implemented, as payments for home repairs for 16,000 Ukrainian families have been agreed upon.

Platforms, such as Brave1, that provide financial and informational support for Ukrainian defense tech projects have been established to guide the innovation process.