Conflicts

Because it wants to be less and less dependent on other countries, which often have to deliberate for a very long time whether or not to still supply weapons to Ukraine, Ukrainians have gone to work on their own. The result? A whole arsenal of new and effective Ukrainian-made weapons, which, by the way, were immediately tested on the battlefield itself. And that attracts the attention of other countries, which are interested in Ukrainian weapons and may want to buy them.

US kept saying 'no'
Last week, Zelensky proudly announced that his country successfully tested and immediately deployed a ballistic missile. It is likely to be the “Sapsan”, which has a range of 500 kilometers, can hit targets deep inside Russia and was worked on for only a year and a half. In this way, Zelensky's troops are taking control of their own affairs because the United States and Berlin continue to impose restrictions on the use of their weapons. For example, the Americans do not want Ukraine to use the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) with a ballistic missile that reaches 300 kilometers because that way escalation would be close since Ukraine would hit targets deep inside Russia with these American missiles. But so the resourceful Ukrainians have found a solution to that themselves by investing heavily in their own weapons industry over the past two years.

Fast track and underground factories
“Ukraine is preparing its own response,” clarified Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov. “Weapons that it produces itself.” And the Ukrainians' specialty appears to be drones. By December, the millionth one of the year should be ready. Ukroboronprom, the umbrella under which Ukraine's arms industry sits, reported that arms production went up by a factor of three in 2023; in 2024, that figure would go times six. And this is partly due to Western financial support and the growing number of Western arms manufacturers who, together with Ukroboronprom, are beginning to produce their own weapons in underground factories in Ukraine. 

An own cruise missile, kamikazedrones, the Palianytsia missile drone that is already terrorizing the Russians or two brand new anti-aircraft systems: the Ukrainians are not sitting still and continue to develop new weapons. Two such successful products are the kamikazedrones AQ-400 Scythe and the AQ-100 Bayonet. They are produced in former plywood carpentry shops and are “no harder to put together than an IKEA piece of furniture,” it sounds. 

(SR for Tagtik/Source: Reuters - BBC - Nieuwsblad - Bild/Illustration picture: Pixabay)