Ukraine war latest: Ukroboronprom increases weapons production by 1.5 times year-on-year

Hello, this is Chris York reporting from Kyiv on day 1,415 of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Today's top story:

Ukraine's largest state-owned defense company Ukroboronprom has increased weapons production by 1.5 times year-on-year, it announced on Jan. 8.

"This is Ukraine’s response to the challenges of modern warfare and clear evidence that our weapons are becoming the foundation of national security," Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal said.

Production was valued at UAH 122 billion ($2.84 billion) in 2024 to over UAH 180 billion ($4.2 billion) in 2025.

Ukroboronprom is a leading strategic manufacturer of weapons and military hardware in Ukraine. The association unites about 100 enterprises that develop and manufacture weapons, military equipment and ammunition, including missiles, drones, armored vehicles.

Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion, Ukraine has significantly increased its weapons production, particularly focusing on unmanned systems.

At least 3 killed, 8 injured in Russian attacks on Ukraine over past day

At least three people have been killed and eight others injured in Russian attacks against Ukraine over the past day, local authorities said on Jan. 8.

Russia launched 97 drones at Ukraine overnight, the Air Force said. Ukrainian air defenses intercepted 70.

At least 27 drones made it through, striking 13 locations, with drone debris hitting one other location.

In Kherson Oblast, Russian forces targeted 32 settlements, killing three people and injuring two others over the past day, the local military administration said in its daily report at around 8 a.m. local time.

In Donetsk Oblast, one person was injured in Russian strikes, Governor Vadym Filashkin said.

In Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Russian forces launched 698 strikes on 30 settlements, injuring five people, regional authorities reported.

General Staff: Russia has lost 1,215,900 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022

Russia has lost around 1,215,900 troops in Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported on Jan. 7.

The number includes 1,400 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.