Putin’s claims that Russian plans to increase the drone-production to 1.4 million drones in 2024 is slightly lower than planned Ukrainian drone production rates in 2024, the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reports in its review for September 19.

“Ukraine intends to produce two million drones in 2024, and Ukrainian officials have repeatedly emphasized that Ukraine is prioritizing modernizing and constantly developing new drones to meet the needs of Ukrainian servicemembers,” the analysts note.

The ISW says that the Kremlin continues to signal its commitment to improving Russian drone operations in Ukraine and drone production capabilities amid efforts to offset the social and economic impacts of a protracted Russian war effort.

“Putin emphasized that Russia must consistently increase its drone production capabilities and improve the effectiveness of Russian-produced drones in order to meet the needs of the Russian military. Putin praised Russia's private drone production initiatives or people's defense industry and noted that these private initiatives have joined forces with state defense enterprises to increase Russia's national drone production capabilities,” the message reads.

At the same time, with reference to the DW investigation, it is reported that some Russian irregular forces are testing newly developed drones with strikes on Ukrainian citizens, possibly to speed up testing.

Analysts also report complaints from the occupiers about the poor quality of state-made drones and positive reviews of private companies for producing more efficient drones.