Title: Ukraine Signs Agreement with Turkish Company for Drone Maintenance

The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense announced on Monday the signing of an agreement with the Turkish company "Baykar Makina" to build a service center for the repair and maintenance of drones in Ukraine. Kyiv aims to enhance its local production of drones to build an "army" of them amid its battle against Russian forces that invaded the country in February 2022. The ministry's website quoted senior official Konstantin Vashchenko as saying to Turkish partners, "Establishing a service center will be a significant contribution to strengthening Ukraine's defense capabilities and will help bring us closer to victory." Ukrainians have significantly intensified their local production of drones. Last week, Mykhailo Fedorov, the Deputy Prime Minister responsible for the “Army of Drones,” stated that "over ten thousand people have been trained to operate drones, and another ten thousand are undergoing training." Both Ukrainian and Russian forces have used a wide range of drones for reconnaissance and attack purposes during the war.