Latvia sending 500 more drones to Ukraine.

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Riga has prepared a batch of more than 500 drones to be sent to Ukraine, Latvian Defense Minister Andris Spruds said on July 22. Earlier this month, Riga announced it would send more than 2,500 combat drones of different types to Ukraine in July, worth 4 million euros (£4.3 million). Spruds shared photos on X showing a number of packed boxes that read "drone coalition." When the drones are expected in Ukraine wasn't mentioned by Spruds.

Latvia and the U.K. are the leaders of the international coalition established to supply Ukraine with drones, which became a crucial capability on Ukrainian battlefields. The Czech Republic joined the initiative on July 11, bringing the total number of coalition members to 16. Spruds announced back in May that the Latvian government would invest around 20 million euros (£22 million) in the drone coalition this year, and a similar sum to the development of Latvia's own drone capabilities.

Ukraine is also working to scale up domestic production, aiming to produce at least 1 million drones in 2024.

Kyiv employs long-range drones to strike deep into Russian territory, targeting military infrastructure such as airfields and logistics, as well as oil refineries and depots.

Ukraine may have surpassed Russia in number of drones, commander says

"In terms of the number of drones, we are clearly not losing, and we may have even surpassed (Russia)," said Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine's Armed Forces Vadym Sukharevskyi.