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Олександр КузьменкоWeapon
11 September 2026, 14:05
2026-09-11
"A cheap rocket of war machines." Zaluzhny commented on the evolution of "shaheeds" and called on British business to invest in Ukrainian deftech
Ukraine’s Ambassador to the UK, Valeriy Zaluzhny, has said that the evolution of drones, including the Shahed jet, has ultimately transformed them into cheap missiles of mass destruction. He said the West’s attempts to defend itself against such weapons with expensive traditional systems creates a dangerous economic deadlock, where the «rich» risk losing out to the «poor.»
Ukraine’s Ambassador to the UK, Valeriy Zaluzhny, has said that the evolution of drones, including the Shahed jet, has ultimately transformed them into cheap missiles of mass destruction. He said the West’s attempts to defend itself against such weapons with expensive traditional systems creates a dangerous economic deadlock, where the «rich» risk losing out to the «poor.»
The former commander of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said this during a speech at the Defense & Resilience Tech Scale Up Showcase technology conference in London, Interfax-Ukraine reports .
Zaluzhny emphasized that as of the summer of 2026, massive Russian air attacks are aimed at the total destruction of Ukraine’s transport, logistics, and industrial infrastructure in order to provoke a deep socio-economic crisis.
«The Shahed rocket demonstrated the evolution of technology — from an expensive Cold War-style missile to a cheap machine-war missile. Yes, it is a missile, but it is no longer a weapon of the chosen ones. Should protection from this weapon be protection of the chosen ones because of the exorbitant price? How will you defend yourself when it is economically very expensive and impossible? The more we take care of technology as a means of struggle of the chosen and the rich, the sooner we will become victims of the poor in the future,» Zaluzhny emphasized.
He noted that Ukraine has built a modern defense industry and has turned drones into the main means of destruction on the battlefield. However, a key problem remains the component base, the production of which is still concentrated abroad. This hinders long-term scaling and modernization of weapons.
Zaluzhny called on the British private sector to invest in joint ventures and technology localization directly in Ukraine, rather than preparing for a protracted war solely at the expense of short-term excess profits from outdated defense contracts.
Recall that Russia is scaling up the production of jet «Shaheeds», which fly at the speed of cruise missiles and cover up to 1000 km. dev.ua told why mobile fire groups lose effectiveness against high-speed targets, how the enemy is building infrastructure for «Geran-4/5» and what technological solutions the Defense Forces will use to defeat the new threat.
«Nobody understands what a jet interceptor is.» Flash criticized the manufacturers' statements: he says it’s either a missile or a small F-16, there’s no third.
