Ukraine boosts weapon production, but remains reliant on Western aid – ISW

Ukraine is ramping up weaponry, military equipment, and unmanned aerial vehicle production, yet still relies heavily on Western aid to combat Russian aggression.

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported that.

According to analysts, Ukraine is still working towards ramping up its domestic production of a substantial quantity of military equipment and maintaining a lead over Russia in the realm of drones.

Recently, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine stated that Ukrainian companies are able to manufacture four million drones annually and that the country has already secured contracts to produce 1.5 million drones, likely by 2024.

As the report also notes, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin recently said that Russia plans to increase the production of drones tenfold to 1.4 million in 2024, which will be less than the two million UAVs that Ukraine plans to produce in 2024.

Zelensky also stated that Ukraine can produce 15 Bohdana self-propelled artillery units every month, and recently, a domestic ballistic missile was successfully tested.

In addition, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said on October 2 that Ukraine will continue to prioritize the domestic production of drones and long-range missiles, including ballistic ones.

In addition, Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal said on October 2 that Ukraine has allocated 7 billion dollars for the purchase of weapons and military equipment in the draft state budget for 2025, which is 65 percent more than in the 2024 budget.

Shmyhal also added that Ukraine tripled domestic weapons production in 2023 and doubled in the first eight months of 2024.

"ISW continues to assess that Ukraine's efforts to increase domestic military production will allow Ukraine to reduce its dependence on Western military aid in the long term, but Ukraine still needs significant Western aid over the next few years to defend against Russian aggression and liberate strategically important areas. which are currently occupied by Russian troops," American experts emphasized.

ISW key findings as of October 2:

• Ukraine continues efforts to expand domestic production of significant military equipment and maintain its drone advantage over Russia.
• Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov condemned the Israel Defense Force's (IDF) ground operation in southern Lebanon during a meeting with the Lebanese ambassador to Russia on October 1.
• Latvian forces enhanced air defense near the Russian border following a recent Russian drone crash in the country.
• Russian and Ukrainian forces continued assaults in the Kursk region.
• Russian forces recently marginally advanced near Svatove, Siversk, and Vuhledar and east and southeast of Pokrovsk.
• Russian defense enterprises are recruiting tens of thousands of new workers due to acute personnel shortages amid increased production of weapons due to the war in Ukraine.