President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on 13 April that Ukraine's drone industry has "fundamentally changed approaches to warfare" and that, for the first time in history, the country possesses enough weapons to defend against Russian strikes, according to the Ukrainian presidential website.
Zelenskyy made the remarks during a speech marking Ukraine's Armament Workers' Day, at which defense industry employees also received state awards — including Orders of Merit of the first and third degrees, one posthumously, medals "For Labor and Valor," and the honorary title of Distinguished Mechanical Engineer of Ukraine.
Drones and the logic of the battlefield
"Today our deep strikes are no longer a sensation, although each time it is very just and very pleasant news. Today our Ukrainian drones have fundamentally changed approaches to warfare," Zelenskyy said.
He drew a direct contrast with the earlier phase of the war: where artillery numbers once determined outcomes, the battlefield is now shaped by infantry courage and the scale of drone deployment, he said. Ukraine also produces ground-based robotic systems, which are gaining increasing significance at the front, as well as its own electronic warfare systems, according to the president.
Air defense as the next frontier
Zelenskyy identified domestic air defense capable of intercepting ballistic missiles as a priority objective. "The unconditional task is our own air defense capable of fighting ballistics. Many in Europe are thinking about this now, and it is important who first can do it alone or together with partners. Ukraine can be that leader," he said.
Arms exports and the G2G model
The president said countries across Europe, the Middle East, the Gulf, Asia, and Africa have expressed interest in Ukrainian weapons and military expertise, and that Ukraine is developing frameworks to meet that demand.
He described the export model Ukraine is pursuing: "We are following a model understood by many states, especially states that are very conservative in agreements. They understand what a G2G agreement is, that is, government to government. [...] At the government-to-government level there is higher trust." Commercial contracts between enterprises — public or private — follow once the intergovernmental framework is in place, he added.
Defense industry outlook
Zelenskyy said Ukraine has reached a high level in missile production and also manufactures defense software, armored vehicles, and artillery. He stressed that defense technologies are developing rapidly under wartime conditions and called on defense industry enterprises to continue proposing new developments. Modernized and continuously upgraded production lines are among the key pillars of Ukraine's defense industry strategy, he said.
