India, March 31 -- Senior officials in Kyiv are taking a swipe at the head of German defence giant Rheinmetall, whose unflattering comments about Ukrainian drone technology and the role of women in the war against Russia ignited a social media backlash.

Rheinmetall AG's Chairman and CEO Armin Papperger, likened Ukraine's development of cutting-edge drone expertise to playing with "Lego" and said the drones are being built by "Ukrainian housewives."

"They have 3D printers in the kitchen, and they produce parts for drones," Papperger said in comments to The Atlantic magazine published Friday. "This is not innovation."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is offering his country's advanced drone technology to Gulf countries amid t...