Russia proposes to build drone factory in Belarus to 'ensure security'
Kremlin Deputy Chief of Staff Maxim Oreshkin made the announcement during a trip to Minsk where he met Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko at a drone exhibition.
"It's very important that Belarus has its own [drone] production facilities, which would strengthen both its economy and national security," Oreshkin said.
"We are ready to build the plant," Lukashenko said in response.
The plant is expected to produce up to 100,000 units per year but no details were given about the type of drone or if they would be for military use.
Oreshkin said that drone production will strengthen the Belarusian economy, including agriculture, logistics, and power generation, and increase GDP.
"It is vital for Belarus to have production facilities that will make not only the economy, but also the security sphere of the country truly sovereign," he added.
While at the exhibition, the pair were given a demonstration of an 'artistic' drone which painted a mural. Belarusian state media described it as "the largest art object (ever) created by a drone."
Currently Russia uses around 100 to 200 kamikaze drones per attack against Ukraine which occur on a daily basis, but Russian forces plan to increase their capabilities to 500, Vadym Skibitskyi, the deputy head of Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR), said on March 3.
Russia also plans to increase the number of sites from which drones will be launched, he added.
Belarus is one of Russia's staunchest allies and part of Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine was launched from its territory.
Belarus is currently under U.S. and European sanctions for supporting Russia's invasion and the detention of political prisoners.
Read also: Trump says he considers sanctioning Russia because it's 'pounding' Ukrainian troops
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