Reznikov on Ukraine's drone production: “I stand by this position, it would make us independent”

He said this in an interview with LIGA.net.

"An incredible number of drones are needed. They can be a gamechanger, providing reconnaissance and correction capabilities, as well as strike capabilities from distances of 3 to 1000 kilometers, and sea drones. This will give us situational awareness," says Reznikov.

He had a meeting with 80 UAV manufacturers together with Ukraine’s Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov. 

"I told them, 'No matter how much you produce, I will buy everything from you.' The Interior ministry will do it, too. We have 20 billion hryvnias in our budget to buy everything they produce. Fedorov runs a United24 project. However, despite the availability of UAH 10 billion allocated by the government for the procurement of drones from abroad, as the Minister of Defense, I am unable to purchase them," the official emphasized.

Reznikov also answered some questions about Western statements on Chinese military aid to Russia.

"I am very cautious about the drones manufactured by this country (referring to Mavic, Matrice, etc.) that are being effectively used on the battlefield. If, God forbid, China decides to join the alliance, their manufacturer could potentially disrupt the operation of our drones. The aeroscope still exists, and the location of the operator is identifiable," he explained.

He added that in this case Russia will fight operators, not drones. 

"Therefore, I continue to stubbornly stand by the position that we need to develop our own Ukrainian drone production. It would make us independent," Reznikov said.

• On the night of March 5-6, Russian troops launched 15 kamikaze drones over peaceful Ukrainian settlements, 13 of them were destroyed.