The construction of a plant for the production of Turkish Bayraktar attack drones has begun in Ukraine, Minister of Strategic Industries of the country Oleksandr Kamyshin said on the air of the Rada TV channel:
“If we talk about the Bayraktar plant, which has been discussed in Ukraine for a couple of years, construction work has begun on this plant. There were negotiations on it, then there were stops, scandals. This plant began to be built in practice, and not just on memorandums. (quote from RIA Novosti)
The construction of the plant is expected to last about two years and will assemble Bayraktar TB2 attack drones, Akıncı heavy drone and Kızılelma fighter drone. Some of them will be equipped with Ukrainian engines. The day before, Kamyshin said that Ukraine produced more mortar and artillery shells in June this year than last year.
A spokesman for Vladimir Putin said today that "Turkey has the absolute right to develop relations with Ukraine, but Russia hopes that this will not be directed against Moscow." At the same time, two days earlier, Peskov stated that the Kremlin considers the return of the commanders of the Azov regiment from Turkey to Ukraine a violation of existing agreements.
A year ago, Baykar CEO Haluk Bayraktar said in an interview with CNN that he supports Ukraine in its struggle for sovereignty and independence and will never allow Bayraktar drones to be sold to Russia.