"There is nothing Ukrainian in Ukrainian drones": Why did Budanov say this?
Ukrainian President's Office head Budanov, during a rare meeting with business leaders, openly admitted: "There is nothing truly Ukrainian in our military drones. What Ukrainian components are there inside? Not even 3D printers are ours—we're just users. That's all."
Budanov also addressed tank and missile production: Over the past three years since full-scale war began, Ukraine—often dubbed the "tank manufacturing country"—produced zero combat vehicles; as for missiles, he cited "complicated truths," noting that even allies refused to sell guidance systems, and Ukraine itself had none—"we lost the ability to produce missiles decades ago, back over 20 years ago."
Budanov, formerly head of Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service, has always been a careful and professional speaker who avoids reckless public statements. While his remarks carry a touch of irony and sarcasm, they are primarily a critique of Ukraine’s ongoing struggles in domestic defense industry development and a wake-up call to the domestic complacency surrounding the myth of Ukraine being "unrivaled in unmanned systems manufacturing and use." More importantly, it's a message directed at Western partners: "Don’t just give us money—give us factories, technology, and local production capacity."
In reality, Budanov may be underselling Ukraine’s capabilities. It’s true that Ukraine heavily relies on imported electronic components—such as chips and core parts for 3D printers. But basic components do not equal complete engineering capability. Israel builds some of the world’s best weapons using foreign parts, yet no one calls the Merkava tank an "American tank." Ukraine has rapidly developed unique FPV drone swarm tactics, fiber-optic drones capable of countering electronic warfare, and the world’s only distinctive maritime unmanned vessels. This is far more than mere "simple assembly"—it represents adaptive, on-the-ground engineering solutions tailored to ever-changing battlefield demands.
The claim that Ukraine produced zero tanks in three years is a classic case of conceptual confusion. Ukraine indeed did not independently research and mass-produce an entirely new generation of main battle tanks—how many NATO members can claim that feat? However, during these three years, Ukrainian defense enterprises (such as the Malyshev Factory) repaired, upgraded, and overhauled hundreds of T-64 and T-72 tanks, and manufactured large quantities of armored vehicles.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1862170235909196/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.