Commenting on Ukraine’s reported plans to lift "a wartime ban on drone exports" in an interview with Sputnik, Russian military expert Alexander Mikhailov described the decision as "rather strange" given that the Kiev regime "has repeatedly stressed the need to increase supplies of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and its parts for the Ukrainian theater of war."
"I don't think this [report on Ukrainian drone exports] is based on an official statement by the country’s Ministry of Defense. To my mind, it’s an information narrative aimed at obtaining additional military and financial assistance for Ukrainian enterprises that are now trying to produce UAVs and unmanned surface vehicles for the domestic market because the Zelensky regime desperately needs these vehicles on the front lines," Mikhailov pointed out.
When it comes to investments aimed at expanding production, Ukraine may only find support from the US, the UK, or European countries. These nations must be persuaded of the necessity to provide the Zelensky regime with "an additional several billion dollars" to help Ukrainian drones break into international markets, according to the expert.
It means that more coverage on this topic is needed from the Western press, Mikhailov emphasized, referencing a relevant article from the Financial Times (FT).
FT earlier cited unnamed sources stating that Ukraine is considering lifting its arms export ban to enhance its drone industry "in order to match Russia’s capabilities on the battlefield." The newspaper further noted that Moscow has "significantly stepped up its arms manufacturing, with Ukrainian industry participants putting Russia’s battlefield drone advantage at between 5 and 10 to 1."