#rustemumerov

“Swift Beat will increase its production capacity, aiming to produce hundreds of thousands of drones for Ukraine this year, with plans to scale up production in 2026, according to Zelensky.” ~ @kyivindependent_official 🇺🇦💙💛🇺🇦

#Repost @kyivindependent_official with @use.repost_

Ukraine signed a major deal with U.S. company Swift Beat to co-produce hundreds of thousands of drones this year, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on July 3 during his visit to Denmark.

The long-term strategic partnership agreement was signed by Ukraine’s Defense Minister Rustem Umerov and Eric Schmidt, the CEO of Swift Beat, in Denmark on the same day.

Under the deal, the company will produce various kinds of unmanned aerial vehicles for Ukraine, including those designed to intercept Russian drones and missiles, reconnaissance, attack, and other drones, Zelensky said in a statement published on the website of the President’s Office.

“The key priority is interceptor drones that have already proven effective in Ukraine,” Zelensky said. “We’ve tested models from several companies, and now we’re signing serious contracts.”

Swift Beat will increase its production capacity, aiming to produce hundreds of thousands of drones for Ukraine this year, with plans to scale up production in 2026, according to Zelensky.

"Modern drones will be supplied to Ukraine as a priority, on special terms and at cost," Zelensky said.

The announcement comes just a day after the U.S. Defense Department (DOD) has halted shipments of some air defense missiles and other weapons previously promised to Kyiv. Ukraine has been trying to negotiate buying U.S. weapons for months after U.S. President Donald Trump, who has opposed military aid to Kyiv, took office in January.

Swift Beat has a significant presence in Ukraine, according to Zelensky's office. It specializes in autonomous AI-powered drones and cooperates with Ukrainian engineers and the military, conducting drone testing on Ukrainian territory, the statement reads.

Zelensky arrived in Denmark on July 3 to mark the country's assumption of the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union.

Zelensky also said that during his visit, he plans to raise the issue of political blockages hindering Ukraine's path to joining the European Union.

“The targets on the list are within the range of long-range missiles, and Kyiv insists on lifting restrictions on the use of ATACMS to protect its people and infrastructure.” ~ Ukrainian Defense Minister, Rustem Umerov 🇺🇦💙💛🇺🇸

#Repost @kyivindependent_official with @use.repost . . . Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said in an Aug. 30 interview that he had submitted to senior U.S. officials a list of targets that Ukraine wants to hit with U.S.-supplied long-range ATACMS missiles in Russia.

The news came as a Ukrainian delegation arrived in Washington to meet with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and other Western officials.

Kyiv has long argued that restrictions on the use of long-range weapons are stifling its war effort, while Washington claimed that allowing Ukraine to hit deep into Russian territory with its weapons could escalate the conflict.

Ukraine has dismissed these arguments and has ramped up pressure to lift the ban in recent weeks amid the ongoing incursion into Russia’s Kursk Oblast. The White House has not budged on its position, despite some U.S. politicians backing Kyiv’s demands.

“We have explained what kind of capabilities we need to protect the citizens against the Russian terror that Russians are causing us, so I hope we were heard,” Umerov told CNN.

According to the minister, the list includes airfields used by the Russian army to launch strikes against population centers across Ukraine.

The targets on the list are within the range of long-range missiles, and Kyiv insists on lifting restrictions on the use of ATACMS to protect its people and infrastructure, Umerov added.

"They’re killing our citizens. That is why we want to deter them, we want to stop them, we don’t want [to] allow their aviation to come closer to our borders to bomb the cities,” the minister said.

In June the U.S. permitted Ukraine to strike Russian military targets just across the border but maintained its ban on attacks deep inside Russia with long-range weapons like ATACMS.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Ukraine’s capture of the Russian town of Sudzha, located less than 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the border with Ukraine, shows that Western fears of Russian "red lines" are groundless.

Western countries have largely allowed Ukraine to use their arms in the Kursk incursion, but the U.S. and the U.K. have maintained their restrictions on the use of long-range missiles like ATACMS.

Photo: Valerii Zaluzhnyi/Telegram

Brains over brawn destined to leave Russia forlorn. 🇺🇦💙💛🇺🇦

#Repost @weareukraine.info with @use.repost . . . Ukrainian Minister of Defense Rustem Umerov met with over 30 representatives of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group who are members of the group’s IT Coalition in Kyiv on Nov. 29, 2023. “The war will be won through technology,” Umerov said.

“Russians can mobilise millions for slaughter while their factories near the Ural Mountains work in three shifts. But our advantage will be provided by asymmetric solutions.”

The UDCG IT Coalition functions under the leadership of Estonia and Luxembourg with a focus on providing Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense and the Ukrainian Armed Forces with support in IT, communications, and cybersecurity. Belgium, Denmark, Latvia and Lithuania are also members of the initiative, with Iceland due to join soon.

“We are innovating technologies, testing them, scaling them. With your help, we will be able to do this faster and on a bigger scale,” Umerov said.

#WeAreUkraine #StandWithUkraine