Reznikov: Phrase about 'wedding drones' belonged to Zaluzhnyi, US opposed purchases in China

Former Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said that then-Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin warned Ukraine against official procurement of Chinese drones using budget funds because it could jeopardize American military aid. At the same time, the phrase "wedding drones" in relation to DJI Mavic, which had long been associated with Reznikov himself, was, according to his own words, heard by him from then-Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi.

Reznikov said that he once asked Zaluzhnyi why the General Staff did not submit an official need for the purchase of Mavic, which were already actively used by Ukrainian soldiers.

"The name of the person who called them in a conversation slang 'wedding drones' to me is Valerii Fedorovych Zaluzhnyi, whom I deeply respect today," - stated the former minister.

According to Reznikov, Zaluzhnyi explained that this was how civilian quadcopters were called in the military, while the General Staff at that time ordered through the Ministry of Defense primarily specialized heavy strike and reconnaissance systems, including Bayraktar, Puma and FlyEye.

However, direct budget purchases of Chinese drones also had a foreign policy limitation. Reznikov claims that he personally discussed this issue with Lloyd Austin and received a stern warning from him.

"If humanitarian aid from China is your right. As soon as you officially buy anything in China with budget funds - forget about my help to you, we will not be able to help you," - Reznikov conveyed the words of the then US Secretary of Defense.

According to him, that is why the supply of Mavic was organized through other state structures, including the Ministry of Digital Transformation and the State Special Communications Service, as well as volunteer funds. The Ministry of Defense instead focused on purchases of specialized military UAVs and domestic developments.

Reznikov also claims that in the autumn of 2022, the Ministry of Defense began concluding long-term contracts with Ukrainian drone manufacturers.

The problem of direct purchases of Chinese Mavic by the Ministry of Defense was publicly discussed before. In 2023, then-Deputy Defense Minister Vitalii Deineha said that such purchases could create problems in relations with the US. At that time, he also noted that the phrase about "wedding drones" was not said by Reznikov, but did not name its author.

Now Reznikov has for the first time publicly named Zaluzhnyi as the person from whom he heard this phrase, and also presented the content of his conversation with Austin regarding Chinese drones.

Based on materials: Radio Svoboda, LIGA.net