Zelenskyy said that 30% of weapons and equipment used by the Ukrainian army in 2024 will be domestically produced.

• Zelenskyy said that 30% of Ukraine’s military equipment used in 2024 will be domestically produced.

• Ukraine produces most of its weapons to fight against Russia.

• Western arms companies have also opened facilities in the country to fuel their war efforts.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that 30% of the military equipment used by Ukraine by 2024 is domestically produced, and the support of the West is not enough to repel Russian aggression.

Zelenskyy said in his New Year’s speech that “30% of everything our guys had on the battlefield this year – all this was done in Ukraine.”

He added that the minds and efforts of people working in the country’s defense industry “made us stronger.”

Ukraine’s military industry has increased since Russia launched its full-scale offensive in February 2022.

Ukraine manufactures many of its own weapons, such as naval bombs, howitzers, and glide bombs. It also manufactures its own missiles and successfully tested its first home-made missile in August.

An increasing number of Western manufacturers are also setting up operations in Ukraine. These include AeroVironment, an American contractor based in Virginia, German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall, and BAE, a major British defense company.

In his speech, Zelenskyy said that at one center, he asked a young engineer, “How did you manage to achieve so much? How did these people manage to do all this?”

He said the man made a joke: “They are not just people, they are arrows.”

Ukraine’s allies have provided the country with billions of dollars in military support. But Ukraine is facing a much larger Russian military, and the brutal nature of the war sees both sides using a wide range of equipment.

Ukraine, at times, is running low on essential weapons and ammunition.

It currently lacks US-made ATACMS long-range missiles that can hit targets inside Russia, the New York Times reported last week.

Ukraine has repeatedly said it needs more weapons and defense gear to defend itself, and military experts have accused the West of helping to drain Ukraine rather than providing enough to make a big difference on the battlefield.

Militants fighting in Ukraine said the flow of military aid could make long-term planning and strategic planning a challenge.

The return of President-elect Donald Trump to the White House may lead to Ukraine needing to rely more on its own resources, as Trump has previously criticized the level of American aid to Ukraine.

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