Ukraine's drone strike against Russia could become global norm

There is an enviable problem with the drone factory in Kiev. It can require more combat drones than the Ukrainian army. The founder of the factory told me that the founder of March told me that the heavy people are called vampires and can be assembled at 4,000 a month. He said smaller Ukraine used to destroy Russian bomber fleets this weekend to make several faster, he said: about 4,000 a day.

Around us, the noise from the production line makes it hard to hear, and the speaker system also plays 80s music (""I just died in your arms tonight…”). So, I asked the founder to repeat himself: Did he just say 4,000 drones a day? "Yes, that's full load," he said. "Now, we're only half of it."

Sunday's attack targeted the Russian air base in Irkutsk, eastern Siberia, and employed a total of 117 Kamikaz drones, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky. Each of them costs about $400 to produce and they destroy billions of dollars worth of Russian aircraft. According to Ukraine's statistics, this will make this operation one of the most effective, efficient US dollar in the history of war. There is no doubt that the agents behind the strike should bow. But once Russia’s target stops being muffled on the base, how will this weapon be used not only in Russia but around the world.

Currently, Ukraine produces drones domestically, as the government bans export of weapons during the war. Once the war is over, these restrictions may be lifted and Ukrainian drones may appear in global markets. Last year, Ukraine produced more than 2 million combat drones of various types. This year, this is the way to double the cause.

For the Kiev government, the foreign market for these weapons was a key part of the post-war reconstruction and reconstruction plan. One MP estimates that selling drones to other countries could make about $20 billion last year, which could reinvest it into national arms business.

The founder of the factory I visited in March told me that he had received purchase requests from several European countries as well as Egypt, India and Pakistan. "They all know our drone work because they've tested it in actual combat," he said.

Once these drones are widely available, governments around the world may need to reconsider their military doctrines and provide agreements for the protection of senior officials.

Last fall, an official from Ukrainian military intelligence agency showed me a prototype of a new drone that has been used in numerous strikes within Russia. It looks like a model plane with explosive shells on it, and the official said it has a range of at least a thousand miles. Apparently, he is proud of the creativity of drone development.

But as a security expert, he also wants to know what would happen if these weapons end up falling into the wrong hands. "Protecting military objects will become more difficult," he told me. "The usual strategy won't work."