Ukraine will produce at least 10 million drones by the end of 2026, but there is also the possibility to double this figure.
Modern.az reports that President Vladimir Zelensky stated this after meetings held within the framework of the G7 summit.
According to him, the country is also seeing progress in MilTech - military technologies. This area includes the development of unmanned systems, robotics, software, artificial intelligence-based solutions, and electronic warfare tools.
Zelensky noted that Ukraine will continue to strike energy and military targets in Russia with long-range drones and called on its allies to more actively force Russian President Vladimir Putin to peace. “He does not want to stop the war. Pressure on him needs to be increased,” the Ukrainian leader said.
In January, the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (SNBO) announced that the country's defense-industrial complex was capable of producing more than 8 million FPV drones per year. At that time, more than 160 companies were operating in this field.
The Unmanned Systems Forces (SBS), created in June 2025, are reported to have destroyed more than 350,000 targets within one year. These include 248 air defense systems, 817 tanks, 1379 armored vehicles, 4890 artillery pieces, 342 self-propelled artillery systems, 281 multiple rocket launcher systems, 13 aircraft and helicopters. SBS commander Robert Brovdi (“Madyar”) stated that in recent times, the Russian army has been losing up to 30,000 servicemen monthly as a result of Ukrainian drone strikes, and total losses have exceeded 100,000 within a year. He also noted that SBS plans to destroy 650,000 targets next year.
Drones began to be widely used on the battlefield in 2023 in response to a shortage of artillery ammunition. In 2024, Kyiv reported producing approximately 1 million drones, and in 2025, this figure reached 4 million.
Last week, the Ukrainian president and Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs signed an agreement on the joint production of drones. In May, Romanian President Nicusor Dan also stated that Bucharest and Kyiv would finalize negotiations on joint production of unmanned aerial vehicles in the coming months. Zelensky also announced the “Big Drone Deal” project with Canada.
In the spring of 2025, US defense startups began cooperation with Ukrainian manufacturers to develop drones for the Pentagon. According to reports, although US companies spent billions of dollars, they were mainly able to develop expensive and less effective systems, while Ukraine developed mass-produced effective drones tested in combat.
