On June 28, in order to boost domestic arms production and increase transparency, Kiev appointed Herman Smetanin as head of Ukroboronprom - a state-owned manufacturer of weapons and strategic military equipment in Ukraine.
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| Ukraine is currently seeking to promote domestic weapons production and modernization. Illustrative photo. (Source: AFP) |
The appointment of Mr. Smetanin - the former director of the Malyshev Plant in Kharkov in northeastern Ukraine - as the new CEO of Ukroboronprom is a step in a broader transformation of the key industry, according to officials.
“The newly appointed director general must master three main tasks: increasing the production of ammunition and military equipment, building an effective anti-corruption infrastructure and innovating Ukroboronprom,” said Oleksander Kamyshyn, Minister of Strategic Industries of Ukraine.
Since the conflict with Russia broke out last February, Ukraine has remained heavily dependent on Western military aid and weapons.
As a result, the Ukrainian government is working to reform the domestic defense industry to modernize local arms manufacturers, help them coordinate more closely with Western partners, and increase supplies to Kiev's forces.
In early 2023, Ukraine announced plans to privatize Ukroboronprom, as well as improve transparency and corporate governance at the company.
On the same day, June 28, Kiev forces said that Russia is currently increasing the deployment of "suicide" unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that can destroy equipment many times more valuable and difficult to deal with.
Ukraine revealed that Moscow's Lancet UAV has been an increasing threat in recent times.
Last month, videos posted by Russian media showed that this type of UAV damaged or even destroyed valuable Western-funded Ukrainian equipment, including Leopard 2 battle tanks and Caesar self-propelled howitzers.
According to Ukrainian soldiers, the Lancet UAV is one of the main threats they face in the conflict. Moreover, the frequency of Russia's use of this type of aircraft has increased in recent months.
According to some public Russian sources, each Lancet UAV costs about 3 million rubles (about 35,000 USD). Meanwhile, a Russian S-300 missile costs at least several hundred thousand USD, and each Leopard 2 tank costs up to several million USD.
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