Zelensky announces major increase in domestic missile production
In a significant move to strengthen its defense capabilities, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that the country will ramp up production of domestically manufactured missiles. His declaration came after a meeting of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief's Staff.
"Additional funding has been allocated to our missile program. There will be more domestically produced missiles," Zelensky wrote on Telegram.
The President emphasized that one of the two top-priority issues discussed was armament, including homegrown drones and rockets. This topic was deliberated with key sector representatives, including Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, Vice Prime Minister for Innovations Mykhailo Fedorov, and Minister of Strategic Industries Oleksandr Kamyshyn.
The session also covered equipping additional brigades with weapons and machinery, as well as partner assistance in this effort. However, the primary focus remained on the situation on the front lines.
"In particular, we discussed the Pokrovsk, Toretsk, and Kharkiv directions in detail. Commander-in-Chief Alexander Syrsky reported via video call; he is currently onsite and personally overseeing the situation," Zelensky noted.
In addition, the Main Intelligence Directorate and the Foreign Intelligence Service provided their forecasts concerning the situation and the short-term objectives of Russian forces.
Earlier, Reuters reported that hundreds of Ukrainian companies producing weapons and military equipment emerged after the full-scale war began. Some face financial hurdles in their production processes and fear becoming targets of increasing Russian missile attacks. The agency highlighted that Ukraine's arms production is hampered by cash shortages and ongoing Russian strikes.
Last December, President Zelensky stated during a press conference that Ukraine aims to produce one million drones this year. The Ministry of Digital Transformation later confirmed these goals as realistic, indicating that Ukraine could manufacture even more drones than initially promised by Zelensky.