Assault battalion commander praises Mavic drones criticized by Defense Minister Reznikov

"At the tactical level, we are greatly assisted by Mavics, despite the fact that (as banal as it may sound, [Defense Minister] Reznikov recently referred to them as 'wedding drones,' which he does not want to purchase through the Cabinet of Ministers),” Kukharchuk told Radio NV.

“Mavics are essential for us to fight at the tactical level. They are our eyes both day and night. In this regard, we have an advantage over the enemy precisely because of these devices.”

Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov has been critical of the drones, stating that he will not direct military funds to purchase them.

"Unfortunately, the state does not provide us with this equipment; the state has not given us a single Mavic,” Kukharchuk confirmed.

“During my battalion's time on the Bahkmut direction (which will soon be almost six months), we lost over 120 Mavics. The state has not given us any out of this quantity; it's all thanks to the volunteer movement.”

In an interview published on July 3, Deputy Defense Minister and founder of the Come Back Alive Foundation, Vitaliy Deynega, stated that the Defense Ministry cannot procure Mavic drones because they are manufactured in China.

According to him, these drones are widely used by both Ukrainian defenders and Russian occupiers. Ukrainian units have only been able to source these drones via volunteer funds and private initiatives.

When asked about Reznikov's statement on the "wedding drones," Deynega stated that he believes that Mavics are far too useful on the battlefield, that the defense minister had made an error.