Zelensky announced the mass production of an equivalent of the Mavic drone

Ukraine has found an alternative to the Mavic drone and will produce its equivalent on a mass scale, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday. He said Russia's number one goal remains the occupation of Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine, and there are 314 Russians in the city itself.

– As for the Mavic drones, we looked for alternative solutions, we found them and we will start mass production of its equivalent. Appropriate financial agreements are currently being prepared, Zelensky said at a press conference. The Chinese Mavic is a popular civilian drone that can be adapted to carry explosives.

– The enemy's number one goal is to occupy Pokrovsk as quickly as possible, the president noted. – This can be seen in the number of attacks. There were 220 assaults on Pokrovsk over three days. According to military data, there are 314 Russians in the city alone, he said.

As he said, there is still a lot of pressure in this direction. In the direction of Kupany, the defense forces advanced by 1,100-1,200 meters. In the Volca direction, the situation is tense and may become more complicated due to the build-up of Russian armed forces.

Zelensky he also referred to the upcoming meeting of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban with US President Donald Trump. – I am convinced that the Hungarian Prime Minister will raise energy issues. Everyone understands the consequences of the sanctions of the European Union and President Trump personally in the field of energy campaigns, he noted. He emphasized that Ukraine cannot give Russia the opportunity to make money on Russian energy and is creating a way out of Russian oil being present in Europe.

Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal announced at a briefing that Ukraine has agreed with Sweden to supply 150 Saab JAS 39 Gripen aircraftas well as the location of their production in Ukraine from 2033. On Thursday, during his visit to Stockholm, Szmyhal signed a preliminary agreement on joint military innovations with Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson.

– As a result of the agreement between our president and the Prime Minister of Sweden (Ulf Kristersson), yesterday we agreed on the details of our future contracts with the Swedish Ministry of Defense. We have agreed that 150 Gripen E/F class aircraft will be delivered. (…) Yesterday, an appropriate memorandum was signed between one of the Ukrainian companies and SAAB regarding the future location of Gripen aircraft in Ukraine. We expect that from 2033, Gripen will be largely localized in Ukraine, and its production will range from the assembly of large components to the location of individual parts, said Shmyhal.

From Kiev Iryna Hirnyk (PAP)

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