Dutch chief of defense says Ukraine is masterfully developing drone-warfare tactics

He said this in an interview with Ukrinform's correspondent in The Hague.

"We also witnessed how effective Ukraine has become at countering drone incursions. They can repel a large number of drones — not 100%, of course — but I'm impressed by how well Ukraine has developed its drone warfare tactics. We can learn a lot from that. Every time I return, I feel that I've learned so much that can be applied back in the Netherlands. I come back full of energy and knowledge, but above all, I'm deeply impressed by how bravely Ukraine and its people continue to stand up to Russia," he said.

Eichelsheim noted the high pace of work at Ukrainian enterprises that manufacture drones and develop countermeasures.

"This time, we went to Kyiv and Odesa, including their surrounding areas. When we arrived in Kyiv, much of the power and water supply was out due to drone attacks the night before. You can really see the scale of the Russian Federation’s attacks on cities and critical infrastructure. We also visited some Ukrainian plants that produce drones and technologies to counter this threat. It was amazing — we were there around 09:30 in the evening, and the entire facility was full of people. Thousands of workers are ensuring that drones were ready on time and that the technology is constantly being improved. It's incredible to see their motivation and the high-end technology they use. We went to one of these plants to see new developments and explore how we could help," he said.

Eichelsheim also highlighted the rapid adaptation of Ukrainian pilots to F-16 aircraft.

"We also visited the F-16 program. I had been there before, when the F-16s hadn't yet arrived. It’s remarkable how quickly they’ve learned to operate them and how effectively they can now use these aircraft. I was very impressed by that. We discussed how we could further assist in supporting the F-16s in the coming months and years," he said.

Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans earlier said the Netherlands wanted to invest in cheaper drone-interception systems than F-35 fighters, because existing capabilities were not available at scale and were not synchronized with each other.