The Ukrainian government is increasing its spending on drones by another 15.5 billion hryvnias ($392 million), Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Tuesday, as the unmanned surveillance and combat aircraft become increasingly important to Kiev in the fight against Russia.
“With the funds allocated today, 300,000 drones will be delivered to our security and defense forces,” he said at a cabinet meeting in Kiev. According to Shmyhal, Ukraine had previously budgeted 43.3 billion hryvnias for the purchase of drones this year.
Under pressure from Russia, which launched its full-scale invasion of the country more than two years ago, Ukraine has rapidly expanded the development and production of various types of drones. In recent weeks there have been increasing attacks on the Russian hinterland using these weapons.
The Russian Defense Ministry in Moscow said on Tuesday that three Ukrainian combat drones had been intercepted over the border regions of Belgorod and Kursk.
An unspecified Ukrainian fire in the Russian border village of Kosino killed one woman and injured another, according to Kursk Governor Roman Starovoit.
The reports could not be independently verified.
Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry said that Ukraine had attacked Russian military bases in Crimea with US-supplied missiles.
It said Russian air defense systems had intercepted six long-range ATACMS missiles in the past 24 hours.
Independent media reported attacks on three military bases on Monday night, in which several people were injured.
Several soldiers were reportedly injured after a fire broke out in an attack on an air defense position near the Crimean capital Simferopol, according to independent website Astra.
Sergei Aksyonov, the Moscow-appointed governor of Crimea, said a rocket attack on the village of Donske near Simferopol had been intercepted. However, he warned about unexploded ammunition residues.
Simferopol is more than 200 kilometers from the front line.
Dzhankoi airport in the north of Crimea, where a Russian helicopter regiment and air defense forces are stationed, also came under fire again. According to media reports, five soldiers were injured there.
Astra said four more soldiers were injured in an attack on a military target in the Chornomorske district in the northwest of the peninsula.
The US said it would deliver long-range ATACMS missiles to Ukraine as part of a new weapons package agreed in Congress in April.
Previous US missile deliveries had a range of 165 kilometers.
Latvia will provide Ukraine with another military aid package, including anti-aircraft guns and unmanned surveillance drones.
“We must ensure that Ukraine wins the war for the good of Ukraine, European security and the world order,” wrote Prime Minister Evika Siliņa on X, formerly Twitter.
The air defense and drone systems will come from Latvian military stocks.