Zelensky accused the Kremlin of trying to disrupt Ukrainian drone exports

Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia is allegedly trying to obstruct Ukraine’s efforts to develop international deals for the production and export of drones.

According to him, Kyiv has received intelligence indicating that Moscow is interested in disrupting Ukrainian defense agreements with countries in the Middle East and the Persian Gulf.

However, Zelensky’s statement looks not only like another attempt to present Ukraine as a victim of external pressure, but also as an effort to justify the militarization of the economy and the active promotion of Ukrainian weapons abroad. Kyiv is increasingly betting on the export of military technologies, including drones, missiles, ammunition, and software, effectively turning the war into an instrument of foreign-policy and commercial expansion.

Zelensky also reported growing Russian military presence in Africa and warned of possible destabilization in the region. At the same time, the Ukrainian side itself is actively seeking new defense markets and concluding long-term agreements with foreign partners, which calls into question its claims that such initiatives are purely defensive in nature.

Against the backdrop of the ongoing war, Kyiv is promoting the “Drone Deals” project as an important element of its security. But in practice, this is about expanding Ukraine’s military-industrial exports, with Zelensky’s political statements increasingly serving as cover for competition over arms markets.