BERLIN — The head of German arms maker Rheinmetall, Armin Papperger, drew scorn from Ukrainian officials and defense industry figures over the weekend after making dismissive comments about the country’s drone program.

In an interview with The Atlantic published March 27, Papperger dismissed Ukraine’s drone sector as lacking real technological breakthroughs. “This is how to play with Legos,” he said, before questioning: “What is the innovation of Ukraine?” He added that “they don’t have some technological breakthrough.”

Western media, including The Atlantic, have hailed Ukraine’s drone program for “ma[king] artillery and armored vehicles look obsolete,” while President Zelenskyy has boasted that his country is “building our own arsenal.”

But Papperger contended that Ukraine’s systems aren’t as sophisticated as the products of major Western defense firms. “This is not the technology of Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics, or Rheinmetall,” he said.

By contrast, Papperger added, Ukraine’s decentralized drone production is amateurish. “It’s Ukrainian housewives,” he said. “They have 3-D printers in the kitchen, and they produce parts for drones … This is not innovation.”

The remarks provoked indignation in Kyiv.

Alexander Kamyshin, an adviser to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, praised the role of Ukrainian civilians in sustaining wartime production. “I see Ukrainian women working equally with men often enough,” he wrote on X. “They deserve respect.”

Others responded more forcefully. Iaroslav Kalinin, chief executive of Ukrainian defense firm Infozahyst, argued that military innovations should be judged by their effectiveness on the battlefield, not their technological complexity. “A $500 FPV drone that destroys a tank worth millions — that is innovation,” he wrote on Facebook. “Not by your corporate standards, but by the only standard that matters in war — efficiency.”

Kalinin also criticized Western defense companies for what he described as their cautious approach to transferring technology to Kyiv. “We will have our own inventions — not thanks to you, but in spite of you,” he said.

Denis Dovgopoliy, a Ukrainian tech investor, said Papperger’s remarks showed a fundamental misunderstanding of innovation.

The Rheinmetall chief, he wrote on Facebook, has spent decades in an industry where “a product developed 10 years ago is considered innovative,” whereas heavy platforms like tanks “will hardly be used in future wars” — as is “already visible … on the fields of Ukraine.”

He ended with a blunt jab at Papperger: “What can he know about innovation?”

In response, Rheinmetall sought to strike a conciliatory tone in a post on X, saying it has “the utmost respect” for the Ukrainians and their efforts to defend their country. The company praised Ukraine’s “innovative strength” and “fighting spirit,” adding it was “grateful to be able to support” Kyiv with its resources.

Veronika Melkozerova contributed to this report.