Yuriy Shchygol, head of the State Special Communications and Information Protection Service, said during a briefing on the topic: “Ukrinform has begun the creation of the Drone Army within the framework of the UNITED24 project.”

“In two weeks, it has already been possible to collect 400 million hryvnia with the help of the platform. And in fact, for all these funds, we are currently making contracts with people who can deliver these drones in the coming weeks/months for use in the Armed Forces as soon as possible,” he said.

The head of the service announced that at the initial stage it is planned to purchase 200 reconnaissance aircraft and the maximum number of civilian aircraft. In particular, there is already an agreement to purchase the first 30 drones.

Shchygol added that Monobank has already joined the initiative. In just a few days it was possible to raise more than 64 million UAH, which is enough for them to buy two Warmate unmanned aerial systems (“Combat Brother”) and 40 kamikaze drones.

“This war is a war of technology. The “Drone Army” is one of the important steps that will make it possible to create a modern high-tech Ukrainian army. And in this we rely on the experience of NATO member states, where weapons drones are the main intelligence tool, “he said.

As reported, in order to strengthen the Ukrainian army and save the lives of thousands of soldiers, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the Ministry of Digital Transformation and UNITED24 launched the “Drone Army” project on July 1.

This is a comprehensive program that will include the systematic purchase, repair and quick replacement of drones, as well as a pilot training course. So far, the first 150 have started training as “Dron Army” operators for military purposes.