The construction of the third line of fortifications has been completed, and weapons production has doubled since 2023.
Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said this at a press conference, an LB.ua correspondent reports.
‘The first is defence and defence capability. The key tasks in this area are arms production, financing and construction of our fortifications. We fully provide this funding. In addition, we helped the Armed Forces build the third line of fortifications. Together with the regional military administrations, the project has been completed and significant funds have been financed. Namely, this year we have financed about UAH 40 billion for the construction of the third line of fortifications,’ the Prime Minister said.
Shmyhal reminded that the first and second lines were built by the Armed Forces at the expense of the Ministry of Defence budget. The third line with concrete fortifications was built at the expense of the state budget with the help of regional military administrations.
‘Another priority is uninterrupted funding for all the needs of the defence security forces. From salaries to drones. We are also actively working on this. In 2023, arms production in Ukraine tripled. And in the first eight months of this year, we have doubled production compared to 2023. That is, we are making progress,’ he stressed.
Shmyhal assured that drone production continues to grow.
‘We have created a drone market, opening up opportunities for business, for enterprises. In addition, this year we paid attention to and created a market for weapons for drones, ammunition. Accordingly, plus one million drones have been contracted this year. That is, we will have more than one million,’ he added.
According to him, the production of shells is also growing.
‘It's not just ammunition for drones, we are working on producing our own ammunition for artillery. This is the most scarce item that we are looking for together with partners around the world. This will be a joint production of weapons at the expense of partners. We have started work here and have already reached the first agreements. First of all, there is the European Fund, which can and does finance the purchase of weapons for Ukraine. But it is important for us that these funds are used to finance Ukrainian production,’ he added.