More than 85% of Ukraine’s successful attacks on the battlefield are carried out by unmanned systems, and European Union financial support to scale up Ukrainian drone production is a prerequisite for positive results at the front, Deputy Defense Minister Serhiy Boyev said, according to Ukraine’s Defense Ministry.
The ministry said Boyev discussed EU financial support with Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, chair of the European Parliament’s Committee on Defense and Security.
Boyev emphasized that if the EU increases funding for Ukrainian drone manufacturing, it will yield tangible gains on the front lines. He said Kyiv can multiply its UAV production several times over, adding that Ukrainian companies build drones at roughly one-third the cost of those made in the EU.
He also called for directing EU funds to modern air defense systems to protect Ukraine’s skies. The discussion centers on €90 billion the EU plans to loan Ukraine for 2026–2027. Europe had initially planned to finance Ukraine in those years with a “reparations” loan backed by frozen Russian assets, but some EU nations opposed the approach. It had been envisaged that Kyiv would repay after receiving reparations from Russia. In December 2025, European leaders decided to provide an interest-free €90 billion loan guaranteed by the EU.
According to Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) Oleksandr Syrskyi, Ukrainian drones in January 2026 eliminated nearly 30,000 Russian occupiers—more than Russia recruited that month. In total, AFU drone crews struck more than 66,000 enemy targets in January. Syrskyi said the effectiveness of Ukrainian UAVs is already having a systemic impact on Russia’s occupying forces, wearing them down.
Ukraine’s defense industry plans to further boost UAV production in 2026, with the AFU expected to receive more than 7 million domestically produced drones this year.
