Baykar Makina CEO Haluk Bayractar is proud that the technologies they have developed support Ukraine in the struggle for independence. He said this in an interview with the Russian service BBC.
BBC notes that the video, how Bayraktar drones destroy Russian armored vehicles, scattered around the world. For Ukrainians, Turkish drones have become a kind of symbol of the resistance of Russian aggression. They began to write songs about them, children and pets are called in their honor, and gradually the word Bayraktar took its niche in the popular culture of the country and the Ukrainian diaspora around the world.
The brothers Selchuk and Haluk Bayraktar openly support Ukraine and several times have been transferred to the Ukrainian military for free, and the money collected by volunteers was sent to the needs of Ukrainian refugees, emphasizes BBC.
Haluk Bayractar added that Ukraine is fighting for a free world. And Selchuk Bayractar called the Russian invasion of Ukraine “an unfair and illegal war”, and the Ukrainian people – noble.
According to Haluk, the Ukrainian authorities turned to many countries with a request to transfer drones, however, according to him, only Turkey agreed to the deal. “Bayraktar systems have been used in Ukraine since 2018,” he recalls. “At the same time, very important projects in the defense industry were signed with Ukraine, which will contribute to our cooperation in various technological areas.”
“When the war began, we sent ten trucks of humps, whether it is food, baby food or hygiene items. Ukraine is a country with which we have close relations. We share the pain of Ukrainians and value their successful protection of our land and their own Heroic struggle, ”says Haluk.
Haluk does not hide that commercial interests are present. But since the beginning of the war, the company has put a lot of effort to cooperate with Ukraine. “For us, the priority is to establish a strong relationship and the development of cooperation, which will benefit both parties,” he said.