Kamyshin: Ukraine not inferior to Russia in production of Shahed drones

The Minister for Strategic Industries Oleksandr Kamyshin said this in an interview with the Rada TV channel, Ukrinform reported.

"Ukrainian Shaheds are available: both analogs of the 131st Shahed drone and analogs of the 136th drone. This year, our ability to produce (a kamikaze drone - ed.) is not less than that of Russia," Kamyshin said.

He noted that when he talks about analogs of the Shahed, he means the number of explosives, range, and other technical parameters.

Read also: Ukraine’s air defenses shoot down 16 out of 18 Shahed UAVs overnight

Kamyshin also said that the defense industry makes a significant contribution to the economic recovery of Ukraine. He expressed confidence that the defense industry will become a strategic sector of the economy.

According to the minister, the government is currently looking for opportunities to increase budget purchases from the domestic defense industry.

As reported, in 2023, the Ukrainian military-industrial complex tripled its production capacity, this year it will grow by six times, and half of the products have already been contracted for 2024.