Volodymyr Zelensky. Photo: Profimedia
Ukraine will open ten arms export centers in Europe in 2026, including the Baltic states and Northern European countries, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on February 8, according to the Kyiv Independent.
Zelensky also said that the production of Ukrainian drones is to begin in Germany.
“In mid-February we will see the production of our drones in Germany. I will receive the first drone. It is a fully functional production line. In the United Kingdom, similar production lines are already in operation. These are all Ukrainian technologies,” he wrote on Telegram.
“Today, Europe's security is based on technology and drones. There are several different projects. All of them will be largely based on Ukrainian technologies and Ukrainian specialists,” Zelenskiy said in his message on Telegram.
The export of defense technologies and the opening of arms production lines in partner countries are part of a wider effort to internationalize Ukraine's arms industry, as drone production capacity outstrips available funding.
The information comes after Volodymyr Zelenskiy asked the Ministry of Defense in October to launch the “controlled export” of Ukrainian weapons abroad, starting in November 2025.
According to the proposed system, Ukraine will export surplus military equipment, and the proceeds will be used to purchase urgently needed weapons.
Ukraine's defense sector, especially the drone industry, has seen rapid expansion since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion in 2022. More than 200 drone companies have sprung up since then, many of them developing cheap and adaptable systems that have changed the way modern warfare is waged.
Ukrainian army chief: The war has turned into a technological competition
The head of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, General Oleksandr Sîrski, said on Sunday that the war has turned into a technological competition, in which the decisive advantage is given by the development and use of drones.
“Whoever gets and capitalizes on the technological edge on the battlefield will win,” Sîrski said.
According to the Ukrainian commander, the unmanned units of the Defense Forces of Ukraine caused significant losses to the Russian army in January alone, reducing its strength by almost 29,700 soldiers, while Russia managed to recruit about 22,000 people in the same period.
“This is the difference we're after: to destroy more soldiers than Russia manages to recruit,” the Ukrainian army commander said, stressing the effectiveness of unmanned systems, which he believes could force Moscow to end the conflict.
In the published message, the Ukrainian official also presented concrete data on the activity of drones in January, indicating an increase in their activity on the front. Sîrski also said that Ukrainian troops maintain a certain advantage in the use of FPV drones.
