Ukraine 'urgently' modernizes domestic weapons, reveals Russia possesses something capable of threatening Kiev forces

On June 28, in an effort to boost domestic arms production and enhance transparency, Kyiv appointed Herman Smetanin as the head of Ukroboronprom, a state-owned Ukrainian producer of strategic weapons and military equipment.

Ukraine is currently seeking to boost domestic weapons production and modernization. (Illustrative image. Source: AFP)

According to officials, the appointment of Smetanin, the former director of the Malyshev plant in Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine, as the new CEO of Ukroboronprom is a step in a broader transformation process for the key industry.

Ukraine's Minister of Strategic Industries, Oleksander Kamyshyn, stated: "The newly appointed General Director must grasp three main tasks: increasing the production of ammunition and military equipment, building an effective anti-corruption infrastructure, and modernizing Ukroboronprom."

Since the conflict with Russia began last February, Ukraine has remained heavily reliant on Western military aid and weapons.

Therefore, the Ukrainian government is striving to reform the domestic defense industry to modernize local arms manufacturers, enabling them to cooperate more closely with Western partners, and increasing the supply for Kyiv's forces.

In early 2023, Ukraine announced plans to privatize Ukroboronprom, as well as improve transparency and corporate governance at the company.

On the same day, June 28, Kyiv forces stated that Russia is now increasing the deployment of "suicide" drones (UAVs) capable of destroying equipment worth many times more and that are difficult to counter.

Ukrainian sources indicate that Moscow's Lancet UAVs pose an increasing threat in recent times.

Last month, several videos posted by Russian media channels showed this type of UAV damaging, or even destroying, valuable Ukrainian equipment donated by the West, including Leopard 2 battle tanks and Caesar self-propelled howitzers.

According to Ukrainian soldiers, the Lancet UAV is one of the main threats they face in the conflict. Furthermore, the frequency of Russia's use of this type of aircraft has increased in recent months.

Some publicly available Russian sources have revealed that each Lancet UAV costs approximately 3 million rubles (about $35,000). Meanwhile, a Russian S-300 missile costs at least several hundred thousand dollars, and each Leopard 2 tank costs up to several million dollars.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/ukraine-khan-truong-hien-dai-hoa-vu-khi-trong-nuoc-tiet-lo-nga-dang-so-huu-mot-thu-co-kha-nang-de-doa-luc-luong-kiev-232670.html