Putin plans to boost Russian drone production, focusing on strike UAVs - aviation expert

He said this on the Espreso TV channel.

“I think (Putin's statement - ed.) refers to Shahed and Gerbera strike drones, which are the strike drones that Russia uses to attack Ukraine from a long distance, creating certain problems. In fact, Russia wants air raids to be constantly sounded in Ukraine. We can see this in the strike UAVs, which can then circle for a long time during the day, moving, for example, between regions. So, I think the bet is on this,” Khrapchynskyi said.

He spoke about Ukraine's strategy to counter Russian attack UAVs.

“The main task is to reduce the potential of the Russian Federation by using strike weapons on the sites where they are produced. In principle, most of the sites where these drones are manufactured are known to Ukraine, as they are located in the Moscow region and the Leningrad region. Therefore, there are two ways: the first is the direct destruction of production, and the second is the work of diplomacy. After all, we understand that most of the components that Russia will receive will be Chinese components. But then again, after such statements, I think we need to address our Western partners about the possibility of using Western weapons deep into the Russian Federation. After all, we are already using Western weapons on the territory of the Russian Federation. This is the expansion of the nomenclature. In principle, there is a conversation about the existing ATACMS, Storm Shadow. We should also not forget that it is possible to use JASSM missiles that fit under the wing of the F-16,” Khrapchynskyi added.

• Putin recently said that Russia plans to increase drone production by almost tenfold this year.