Ukraine has significantly reduced direct imports of Chinese drone components over the past two years. However, completely abandoning them could be costly for manufacturers. According to TAF Industries, switching to Western counterparts could increase costs by 60% and reduce production by about the same amount.
Ukraine has significantly reduced direct imports of Chinese drone components over the past two years. However, completely abandoning them could be costly for manufacturers. According to TAF Industries, switching to Western counterparts could increase costs by 60% and reduce production by about the same amount.
This was reported by the Associated Press, whose journalists spoke with Ukrainian drone manufacturers.
According to Ukrainian customs, at the beginning of 2024, almost 90% of imported drone parts came directly from China. But in the first eight months of 2026, this share fell to 28%. However, this does not mean that there have been fewer Chinese parts. Some of the components that Ukraine receives from Poland and the Czech Republic are most likely also made in China. They just now enter Ukraine through other countries.
But companies are gradually establishing their own production. For example, three years ago, Vyriy purchased almost 90% of the parts for its strike drones from China. Now, according to the company’s founder, Oleksiy Babenko, 70–80% of the components are manufactured in Ukraine. This also allows for faster improvements to equipment, as domestic parts can be changed to meet the needs of the military in a matter of days, while coordinating changes with foreign suppliers sometimes takes months.
The biggest problem is the components that Ukraine cannot yet produce independently or in sufficient quantities. Among them are magnets for motors, battery cells, microcircuits, and thermal imaging sensors. For example, Ukrainian companies can independently develop thermal imaging cameras, but are forced to import sensors that capture infrared radiation and special lenses.
According to Odd Systems representative Andriy Tagansky, Europe produces about 600,000 thermal imaging sensors per year, while Ukraine's need is estimated at 4 million. Chinese manufacturers also have an advantage in cost and scale of production.
Another problem is that Ukrainian and Russian manufacturers often turn to the same Chinese factories.
Oleksiy Babenko told the AP how his company found advanced long-range reconnaissance and guidance antennas on a captured Russian drone. The manufacturer managed to identify a Chinese supplier, after which the Ukrainians tried to order several hundred such antennas.
At first, the supplier refused, but later agreed to sell the equipment on one condition: the deal must remain a secret. As the seller explained, the technology was developed specifically for Russia.
The situation is also complicated by Chinese export restrictions. Beijing has tightened control over the sale of drones and their components several times since 2023, most recently in the summer of 2026. Because of this, Ukrainian companies have to look for intermediaries in other countries, which increases the cost and delivery times.
Ukrainian manufacturers fear that China may further restrict Ukraine's access to necessary parts, but maintain supplies to Russia. That is why they consider the development of their own production a security issue.
A year ago, dev.ua wrote that China was restricting the export of engines, batteries, and flight controllers for Ukrainian drones, and was also making it difficult to supply through third countries.
