Commander of National Guard: Control centre for unmanned systems has been created

He said this in an interview with Ukrinform, answering a question about how to take the supply chain to a new level if the NGU already has its own workshops for manufacturing drones.

According to the commander, the relevant permits were previously obtained, and now the NGU has the opportunity to spend state funds on the production of its drones.

"We manufacture FPVs, in particular. Previously, we had one separate unit for UAV operators, and now we have two more (a separate unit for the use of Omega Wings and Typhoon UAVs). We have created an unmanned systems control centre that deals with analysis and application. This is important to be able to store, analyse and control this work, and to increase its efficiency," he said.

According to Pivnenko, he initiated the creation of a separate artillery brigade to support the National Guard units in a certain area: "This brigade, equipped with Bohdan guns [self-propelled artillery systems of Ukrainian production and NATO 155 mm calibre]. Two such vehicles are enough for a direction, and in total we will have about 20 systems. This is more than enough for the needs of the National Guard. The crews for eight of them are already ready."

The NGU commander stated that, in addition to performing law enforcement tasks, the guardsmen are also able to fight in full, performing tasks to strengthen the border and directly on the contact line.

"Of course, public order protection, protection of important state facilities, nuclear power plants, and convoys are also our tasks," he said.

Answering a question about critical infrastructure, in particular whether the main goal now is to repel the Shahed or to protect it from sabotage, Pivnenko said that the main goal is to strengthen security, provide defence if necessary, and shoot down enemy drones and missiles.

"We have never had such counter-sabotage tasks as the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine. We work in a unified system of the Armed Forces, and we are tasked with strengthening the state's air defence system. For this purpose, of course, we need portable air defence systems or systems such as "Gepard" - these are very effective weapons," said the NGU commander.

Answering a question about the "Offensive Guard" brigades, he informed that all seven brigades of the "Offensive Guard", which are part of the NGU, are currently performing tasks in different directions, from Zaporizhzhia to Kharkiv.

"We are not losing positions, we are slowly taking them back, like in some areas in the east. We have set up a tactical group that unites two or three brigades and can manage them. This is not new in the Armed Forces, but it is the first practice in the National Guard. And it is effective. When you need some information, help with weapons, something burned down and needs to be replaced, ammunition is running out - everything happens very quickly," Pivnenko said.

The NGU commander noted that if a brigade commander, for example, plans to attack or knows that the enemy is planning something, he issues [the necessary resource] from his reserve to avoid interruptions. "In addition to what we receive from the Armed Forces to perform tasks, we always have a reserve," he said.

As reported, Ukraine is not losing to Russia in terms of the number of unmanned aerial vehicles: Ukraine is testing and deploying more than 165 developments on the battlefield.