We Will Not Allow It: Russian Federation Council Responds to Bayraktar Drone Factory Construction in Ukraine

Ukraine will not be able to complete the construction of a factory for the Turkish Bayraktar drones on its territory. This was the response of Sergey Tsekov, a member of the Federation Council's International Affairs Committee of the Russian Federation, commenting on the commencement of construction work, Lenta.ru reports.

“I doubt they will build this enterprise in Ukraine, as there is a special military operation ongoing in Ukraine. How can they build it knowing that it will produce equipment for fighting against us? Can we allow this? I believe we will not allow it,” said the Russian senator.

The upper house parliament member reminded that during the special military operation, Russia is destroying military objects located in Ukraine. “This will be a Ukrainian factory, not a Turkish one. And if this is a Ukrainian factory, then it is a factory that is a target for the Russian Federation's aggression,” Tsekov added.

It was reported earlier that the construction of the Turkish Bayraktar drone manufacturing facility has begun in Ukraine. This was announced by the CEO of Baykar, Makina Haluk Bayraktar, on Friday, according to the Ukrainian news agency UNIAN. The CEO stated that they have already started building the Baykar plant, as well as a research and development center and an advanced manufacturing center.

On Tuesday, Ukraine’s Ambassador to Turkey, Vasyl Bodnar, stated that the construction of the Turkish Bayraktar drone production facility in Ukraine will take several months, with the opening possibly slated for the end of 2023.

Meanwhile, Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary of the Russian leader, stated that if a Bayraktar production facility is built in Ukraine, it will immediately be subject to demilitarization.