Almost 100% of drones for the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) are developed in Ukraine, most of this sector is occupied by private business, Deputy Defense Minister of Ukraine Dmytro Klymenkov said in an interview with SMALL TALK on June 1.

"Drones. A very important priority as well. Almost 100% of all products are developed in Ukraine. That is, private business occupies the largest part in this sector, and this is good, because it is also about the economy. The Defense Procurement Agency recently announced competitive bidding for the first time behind closed doors through Prozorro for the purchase of 20,000 drones, with an estimated cost of up to UAH 3 billion," the official said.

According to him, part of these tenders has already been held, and "the Ministry of Defense saw good results, both in terms of product and price. About 7,000 drones have already been contracted."

"The tenders have been held and another almost 7,000 [drones] are now being tested and qualified. More than UAH 1 billion of this budget has already been used, and we are moving along this path," Klymenkov said.