Ukraine continues to make efforts to expand domestic production of significant military equipment and to maintain its advantage over Russia in unmanned aerial vehicles.
This is stated in the daily analysis of the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
On October 2, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmygal said that in the draft state budget for 2025, Ukraine allocated $7 billion for the purchase of weapons and military equipment - 65% more than the state budget for 2024.
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Shmigal said that in 2023, Ukraine increased domestic arms production three times, and in the first eight months of 2024 - twice.
ISW continues to assess that Ukrainian efforts to expand domestic military production will allow Ukraine to reduce its dependence on Western military aid in the long term, but that Ukraine still needs significant Western aid over the next several years, to to defend against Russian aggression and to liberate strategically important areas currently occupied by Russian forces.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov condemned the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) ground operation in southern Lebanon during a meeting with the Lebanese ambassador to Russia on October 1.
Latvian forces have strengthened air defenses near the Russian border following the recent crash of a Russian drone in the region.
Russian and Ukrainian forces continued their attacks in the Kursk region.
Recently, Russian forces have made minor advances near Svatev, Siversk, and Ugledar, and east and southeast of Pokrovsk.
Russian defense companies are hiring tens of thousands of new workers due to acute staff shortages amid increased weapons production due to the war in Ukraine.