“In 2024, the Defense Procurement Agency of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine has contracted more than 400,000 UAVs of all types – with few exceptions, these are all Ukrainian-made drones, said Maryna Bezrukova, director of the Defense Procurement Agency.
“In 2024, we have already contracted more than 400 thousand UAVs of all types. From small FPVs to diplomatic strikes that hit targets deep behind enemy lines. With few exceptions, these are all Ukrainian-made drones. In the last two weeks alone, we have signed 21 contracts for drones worth more than UAH 3 billion,” she wrote on Facebook.
At the same time, Bezrukova explained that since the Defense Ministry is an agency of the Defense Ministry, this imposes certain specifics.
“We can only contract weapons that are on the list compiled by the General Staff and approved by the Ministry of Defense. The list is a small and highest-priority part of the large need collected from the military, for which funding is provided. Because the budget is really limited,” she said.
The director also reminded that the Defense Industry can only contract weapons that have received NATO codification and only those manufacturers that have confirmed their production capabilities to the military missions of the Ministry of Defense.
According to her, the Defense Industry is in constant contact with manufacturers, receives feedback and initiates changes that simplify the work and reduce the time to contracting. In particular, Bezrukova noted that the inspection by military missions has already been significantly simplified. The director emphasized that there is “still a lot of room to make the UAV contracting procedure, as provided for by the Ministry of Defense’s regulatory framework, simpler and more transparent.”
“Unfortunately, the opponents of the Agency’s work are now doing everything possible to destroy our reputation. For example, they are pouring money into spreading the news that the Agency has purchased a specific UAV at inflated prices. Although in fact we did not contract it at all. All this is a sign that we are on the right track. And we will be happy to go through it together with the manufacturers,” she emphasized.
