Acting Head of the Security Service, Major General Yevheniy Khmara, joined in congratulating representatives of Ukraine’s defence industry on Gunsmith’s Day. The event took place in Kyiv, where Ukrainian weapons manufacturers were first congratulated by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The ceremony was also attended by National Security and Defence Council Secretary Rustem Umerov, representatives of the Ministry of Defence and the General Staff, military personnel, and arms manufacturers.

‘The courage of our soldiers and the resilience of our people, the people of Ukraine, for the first time in our nation’s history, are sufficiently armed to defend ourselves against russian attacks. This is not the first time russia has come to destroy us, Ukrainian statehood, and our will. But now Ukrainians are in a stronger position than ever before – whether in 2014, in the 20^th century, or even earlier. Today, our deep strikes are no longer a sensation, though each time they are very welcome and very good news. Today, our Ukrainian drones have radically changed approaches to warfare; whereas once the quantity of artillery decided everything, now the battlefield is undoubtedly defined by the bravery of the infantry and the scale of drone deployment,’ noted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

‘Ukrainian arms manufacturers produce unique equipment that we use daily on the battlefield – asymmetrically, unexpectedly for the occupiers, inflicting maximum damage on them. Textbooks of the world’s top intelligence agencies already describe SSU operations carried out using domestically developed technology. And Ukrainian arms manufacturers are part of these operations. It is with your hands that our Victory is forged. Your technologies and labour, combined with the expertise of all the Ukrainian Defence Forces, enable us to defend our land and our people,’ emphasised Acting Head of the SSU Yevheniy Khmara.

Participants in the event also noted that weapons production in Ukraine has increased nearly 50-fold, and that domestic companies are constantly seeking new technological solutions, thereby ensuring the Defence Forces’ technological advantage over the enemy.

Notably, during the full-scale war, SSU personnel destroyed 2,269 enemy tanks, 4,104 armoured vehicles, 4,587 artillery systems, 355 multiple launch rocket systems, and 725 air defence systems. In March this year, the SSU Alfa Special Operations Centre was recognised as the most effective unit of the Armed Forces in the use of drones under the Government’s Drones for Points program.