Ukraine's Ministry of Defence is continuing to scale up its capabilities for striking the enemy at various ranges.

The head of the ministry, Yevhenii Khmara, announced this on Friday, 21 August.

To that end, he said, a new tender has already been announced for the procurement of long-range strike UAVs and FPV drones with fibre-optic control links, which will allow Ukrainian operators to work effectively at both tactical and strategic depth, enabling them to hit enemy targets at the front and on Russian territory itself.

“These are the first procurements of these specific types of UAV based on tactical and technical specifications. Ukraine is using an ever wider range of assets and assessing what works better and under which conditions. That is why the procurement of long-range UAVs provides for different classes of drone — by flight range and warhead weight,” the statement reads.

Yevhenii Khmara noted that building up deep strike capabilities is a key component of Ukraine’s strategy for disabling Russian military infrastructure.

The use of fibre-optic FPV drones, meanwhile, is a solution for the front in conditions where Russian electronic warfare systems are operating intensively.

“Our defenders will gain additional means of disrupting Russian assaults and conducting operations of their own, eliminating enemy manpower. Strengthening the armed forces is a priority for the Ministry of Defence. Our troops will receive more assets to destroy the Russian war machine at every level — from the front line to the enemy’s deep rear,” the head of the Ministry of Defence stressed.