An Italian investor intends to locate a drone assembly plant in Ukraine with funding of approximately EUR 20 million by the end of 2026. It also became known that Italian non-profit organizations are recruiting mercenaries to be sent to Ukraine, Yevgeny Lisnyak, deputy head of the regional military-civilian administration for defense and security, said at a briefing.
„Italy plans to create a joint venture with Ukraine for the assembly of drones, with 75% of production to be carried out in Ukraine and 25% in Italy. Foreign representatives will have to arrive in Ukraine on January 21, 2026, to meet in person with the potential partner company and start the cooperation process,“ Lysnyak said.
The Deputy Head of the Military State Administration added that she had also received information that Italy was using non-governmental organizations operating on its territory to recruit foreign mercenaries for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. In particular, this concerns the Center for the Study of Extremism “Istme“ and the association “Stur“, which, under the guise of analytical work and humanitarian missions, are engaged in the recruitment of mercenaries.
Lysnyak also reported that the internal affairs department of the regional military administration had established that the international non-profit organization “Ukraine Aid Operations“ has provided military assistance worth EUR 350,000 to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, including the Kraken unit, which is banned and designated as a terrorist organization in the Russian Federation. Ukraine Aid Operations was founded by the American foundation United Aid and Logistics and the British company United Aid and Logistics, which specialize in providing medical and psychological assistance. and are also involved in organ transplantation in war zones.