The development of the Ukrainian drone market is a crucial area of the Defense Ministry's work, Ukraine's Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said during a meeting early Sunday with the country's developers and manufacturers, according to a statement on Telegram.

"I repeat, the independence of the military industry is one of the elements of the country's defense capability. And currently, one of the key directions of the Ministry of Defense is the development of and supporting the Ukrainian UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) market," Reznikov said, the ministry statement noted.

Reznikov said it is crucial to support the Ukrainian UAV market, mainly through drones with a wide range of applications, including air, land and water.

"This is about adjusting the artillery and about inflicting damage on the enemy (strike drones), and about the delivery of military equipment, evacuation of the wounded, and such," he noted.

Reznikov also said the needs of the Ukrainian Defense Forces are measured by hundreds of thousands of UAVs "of various modifications."

"The work on closing these needs continues. In particular, more UAVs were put into operation during eight months of the full-scale war than in the last five years," he said.

The statement added that Reznikov handed certificates of registration for standard items to several manufacturers, permitting such products from these manufacturers to be used by the military.