Ukraine will work with its partners to strengthen sanctions that will target the production of Russian drones such as Lancet and Orlan, the head of the Ukrainian presidential office, Andriy Yermak, has said during Volodymyr Zelenskyy's meeting with troops at the frontline.
According to Yermak, Lancet is "one of the main weapons that the enemy uses at the front against our armoured vehicles, air defence systems, radars, and more". The Orlan reconnaissance UAV detects positions and adjusts fire.
"Along with building up Ukraine's strike capabilities, we must do our best to limit those of Russia... Ukrainian experts have been studying these UAVs for a long time, creating comprehensive files that we share with our partners. Intelligence is conducting research on Russian methods of circumventing sanctions - we also share this with our partners," Yermak added.
He noted that Ukraine has now imposed sanctions on the owner and designer of ZALA AERO, Aleksandr Zakharov and is working to ensure that its partners do the same.
"In addition, Ukrainian, European, American and Australian restrictions have been imposed on CST LLC, the main legal entity behind ZALA AERO. There will be other Ukrainian sanctions as well. We also know that the Lancet UAV contains at least 19 foreign electronic components, including Western ones. The Orlan UAV also contains a lot of them. Together with our partner governments, we are already working and will intensify our efforts to identify component manufacturers and companies that supply them in violation of sanctions," he said.
He added that McFaul-Yermak's group would soon present a document with specific sanctions proposals to "make it impossible to supply microelectronics, machine tools and other equipment necessary for the production of UAVs, as well as chemicals and other materials".
He also said that work is underway "in the direction of Russian electronic warfare and radar, the production of which depends on foreign components".
Yermak said earlier that the missiles that Russia fired on Ukraine on the night of 15 August were manufactured this year and had foreign chips - about 30 of them.