Ukraine continues to actively develop its own military technologies, in particular in the field of unmanned aerial vehicles and long-range weapons. At the same time, the country is preparing for possible challenges, in particular, the risk of blocking the Starlink satellite communication. Officials of various departments of the country spoke about this, as well as about the Russian Federationʼs attempts on the countryʼs leaders and military state structures at the forum "Ukraine. Year 2025". Babel collected key points from the forum.
Ukrainian UAVs, long-range capability and Starlink shutdown
Of all UAVs, 96% are produced or purchased in Ukraine, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said at the forum.
According to him, Ukraine has become the largest producer of drones in the world. And the UAV Forces conducted 130 operations and hit 377 targets on the territory of the Russian Federation in 2024.
The SBU
He said that during the strike on the warehouses in the city of Toropets, 160 000 tons of enemy ammunition were destroyed. In particular, 50% of all Russian stocks of 120-mm mines.
And according to the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi, Ukraineʼs long-range capability already reaches 1 700 kilometers. He emphasized that "this figure is only increasing".
The Defense Minister Rustem Umerov also reported that Ukraine is already working on alternative solutions in case of Starlink being blocked. According to him, there are alternatives and they will be presented soon.
At the same time, the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate (known as GUR) Kyrylo Budanov emphasized that there are currently no such cases of blocking.
North Koreaʼs participation in the war against Ukraine
Budanov said that there are still 8 000 North Korean soldiers in the Russian army.
According to him, initially this figure reached almost 11 800, but the Ukrainian Defense Forces have already "incapacitated" 4 000 North Korean soldiers — we are talking about killed and seriously wounded. They are already preparing a replacement, but it has not yet arrived.
North Korea plans to supply 148 North Korean KN/23 ballistic missiles to the Russian army this year. And 50% of all Russian ammunition comes from North Korea. The country is a large-scale supplier of 177-mm self-propelled howitzers and 240-mm multiple launch rocket systems to Russia.
The Russian Federation has already received 120 177-mm self-propelled howitzer systems and 240-mm multiple launch rocket systems.
Russiaʼs weapons production plans for 2025
In 2025, Russia plans to produce more than 7 million artillery shells and large-caliber mines, said the head of the Foreign Intelligence Service Oleh Ivashchenko. He also said that it is about three thousand long-range missiles.
According to Budanov, the Russians are increasing the production of ammunition and guided aerial bombs.
Minerals of Ukraine
The value of minerals in the temporarily occupied territories reaches $350 billion, Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said.
"Our task is not just export, but attracting investment in the processing of [mineral] deposits," the official emphasized.
According to her, Ukraine has significant deposits of lithium, titanium, and uranium. And the aggressor is currently using these resources, including in combat. For example, for the aviation industry.
"First, there needs to be an agreement on minerals, and then they will decide who will sign it," said the head of the Presidential Office Andriy Yermak, when asked who will sign the agreement on minerals with the United States.
According to Yermak, he and Economy Minister Svyrydenko will have a new round of negotiations with American partners on February 23.
Army management reform and the passage of the VLK
Commander-in-Chief Syrskyi also stated that the Ukrainian army is transitioning to a corps-based system of command and control. He says that this is the optimal system during wartime, and currently there are 5 corps operating in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov reported the reform of military medical commissions, which will be implemented in two stages.
The first will begin by February 28, 2025 — at this stage, electronic referral to the military medical commission will be introduced.
During the second stage, which will last until the fall of 2025, medical and administrative data will be separated — this will allow citizens to pass the MMC
Attempts on Ukrainian officials
The head of the Security Service of Ukraine Vasyl Malyuk said that Russian special services tried to assassinate the head of GUR Kyrylo Budanov, last Easter, before Putinʼs inauguration. According to him, the Russians were planning an assassination attempt on him as well.
During the full-scale invasion, SBU exposed 102 hostile spy networks. Among them were those whose task was to eliminate President Volodymyr Zelensky.
According to Malyuk, over 3 000 suspicions of treason have been received by Ukrainian citizens, but he did not specify the period. He said that there are currently over 1 300 court verdicts.
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