Corruption and lack of professional management hinder drone production growth in Ukraine, says military journalist

“Our drone production has not yet reached the level of daily attacks for various reasons,” he said.

“I am actually surprised by this, because drones are an effective weapon.”

“It seems to me that there are two reasons that do not allow us to scale up the production of drones,” he said, adding that corruption is the first reason.

“The production of drones in Ukraine is not so systematic yet. Certain manufacturers can probably overcharge for their products and not be afraid of inspections, because the price of drones cannot be checked. You have to be a decent person to produce drones or a dishonest person to produce drones.”

Many experts say that the scale up of drone production and use “is very often managed by people who are not in the business,” they are not professionals.

“There is a clear answer to why this is happening: because it is a completely new military industry,” Tsaplienko said.

“It is already the case that tankers are commanded by tankers, sailors are commanded by sailors, pilots are commanded by pilots, and drone operators are often commanded by people from other military professions and military branches. It is an objective process.”

Tsaplienko is confident that the Ukrainians will quickly overcome these two problems and will be able to show Russia “such surprises that it does not expect from us”.

On Feb. 6, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued a decree instructing the Armed Forces to create a separate branch of the Armed Forces for drones — the Unmanned Systems Forces.

Ukraine’s Digital Transformation Minister Mykhailo Fedorov wrote on Telegram that the decision “will serve as a powerful impetus for the technological and innovative development of the Armed Forces.”

On Feb. 7, Deputy Defense Minister Oleksandr Pavliuk said that the creation of the Unmanned Systems Forces within the Armed Forces of Ukraine showed that the army understands the importance of using drones at the front.