Umierov: UAH 2.5 billion to be distributed monthly among Armed Forces brigades for UAV procurement

UAH 2.5 billion will be distributed monthly among the Armed Forces of Ukraine brigades to purchase drones.

Defense Minister Rustem Umierov announced this.

The official stated that in December, the Ministry of Defense transferred UAH 1.1 billion directly to the Armed Forces’ combat units to purchase UAVs.

According to him, this made it possible to quickly meet the needs of Ukrainian brigades and strengthen the diversification of centralized control.

The Ministry of Defense analyzed this experience and decided to scale up this initiative. Therefore, a corresponding proposal was submitted to the Cabinet of Ministers, which supported it on Tuesday, January 21.

It is noted that unit commanders will use these funds to purchase the drones that are most effective for performing tasks at the front.

“This is another step towards creating the most flexible system of providing the military with everything they need to defend Ukraine,” Rustem Umierov asserts.

In December, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine reported that throughout 2024, it had transferred more than 1.2 million drones of various types to the Defense Forces. By the end of December, about 100,000 more drones, including reconnaissance, strike, and FPV kamikaze drones, were to be delivered.

In particular, the military received over 40,000 reconnaissance multirotor drones, including more than 12,000 night drones. The military also received 5,000 reconnaissance aircraft-type UAVs. Also, since the beginning of the year, more than 6,000 units of deep strike drones have been transferred, including An-196 “Liutyi,” Firepoint, and others.

In addition, the military received more than 2,000 reusable multi-rotor strike UAVs, such as Nemesis, Kazhan, and Vampire. The military also received more than 5,000 reusable FPV copters.

The State Special Communications Service transferred another 1.1 million FPV kamikaze drones ordered by the Ministry of Defense to meet the needs of the Defense Forces’ combat units.

Defense Minister Rustem Umerov previously noted that the number of unmanned aerial vehicle crews in the army had increased sevenfold over the year.