KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Senior officials in Kyiv are taking a swipe at the head of German defense 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 as like 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 the Iran war, on Monday described Papperger’s remarks as “strange.”

“If every Ukrainian housewife can really produce drones, then every Ukrainian housewife could also be the CEO of Rheinmetall,” he told reporters via voicemail on WhatsApp. “I congratulate our defense-industrial complex on being at such a high level.”