Victorious news of 688th day of war: UK to provide largest aid package, Ukraine produces 100 times more drones than year earlier

UK to provide Ukraine with a record aid package of GBP 2.5 billion

Ukraine and the United Kingdom signed a security assurance agreement. It provides for annual support. This year, the United Kingdom will allocate GBP 2.5 billion, which is the largest aid package from the UK since the beginning of the war. In addition, this document will provide significant support to Ukraine's defense industry, and the necessary assistance will come much faster.

The agreement is a long-term one. According to the President of Ukraine, the agreement has a 10-year term with the possibility of extension. However, if Ukraine joins NATO before the end of the term, the security commitments will end and will be incorporated into the system of the entire alliance.

According to UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, the 2.5 billion pound aid package will include additional air defense equipment, additional anti-tank weapons, additional long-range missiles, and hundreds of thousands of shells. Training will also be provided for thousands more Ukrainian troops. He added that 200 million pounds will be allocated for the production of new drones. In total, since the beginning of the war, the UK has provided over GPB 12 billion to Ukraine.

One million drones a year is a realistic goal

Ukraine has the technical capabilities to produce 1 million FPV drones within a year, and even more. The number of drone manufacturing companies has increased to 200. This was stated by the Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine Mykhailo Fedorov, who called the production of a million drones a very realistic goal.

"In 2022, only 7 drone manufacturers passed trial operation and could receive government contracts. This is critically low. Then we gathered and interviewed more than 80 manufacturers, discussed their blockers, and started working on changing the policy. We adopted more than 20 laws and regulations, eliminated taxes on components, and allowed companies to incorporate into Diia.City. We also increased the margin for manufacturers to 25%, while in NATO countries this figure is 17%," the minister said.

According to him, in 2023, Ukrainian companies produced and the state purchased 100 times more drones than in 2022.

British intelligence on the destruction of tanks in Kherson region

FPV drones are the most effective weapon used by the Ukrainian Armed Forces to destroy enemy equipment in the Kherson region. UK intelligence has called them "the most effective weapon used by the Defense Forces to destroy the invaders and their equipment" in the Kherson region.

The UK Ministry of Defense writes that the Ukrainian military, operating on the left bank of the Dnipro River in the Kherson region, are using FPV drones along with artillery to attack Russian military vehicles. In addition, the intelligence agency cites information from a Russian military commander who says that 90% of Russian equipment was destroyed near the village of Krynky in the Kherson region.

"Most likely, Russia's inability to counter FPV drones is due to the lack of Russian electronic warfare capabilities in the region," British intelligence suggested.

Russian soldiers killed

In the Kursk region of the Russian Federation, near the border with Ukraine, a field bathhouse of Russian soldiers burned down. Two mobilized soldiers were killed, and two other conscripts were injured. This was reported by the Russian edition of ASTRA.

It is noted that the fire occurred near the village of Anatoliivka, Kursk region. As a result of the fire in the field bathhouse of the Russian military, two mobilized soldiers died: 26-year-old rifle platoon commander Dmitry Golubev from St. Petersburg and 32-year-old excavator driver Alexander Stulov from Nizhny Novgorod region. Two conscripts were hospitalized with carbon monoxide poisoning: Pavel S., 20, from the Leningrad region, and Kubanich T., 20, from St. Petersburg.

According to the Russians, the fire allegedly started with a fire on the wall behind the furnace.