The Ukrainian Armed Forces are short of cheap UAVs due to the restriction on the supply of components that China has imposed since 1 September this year. The New York Times journalists analysed data on the international drone trade and spoke to ten UAV manufacturers in Ukraine.
Since September, new rules have come into force in China that restrict the export of components for drones.
Chinese manufacturers, who did not refuse to supply (the restrictions did not affect all trade, Chinese manufacturers stopped supplying long-range UAVs and some components for them), require customers to organise a complex network of intermediaries. As a result, Ukrainians have been forced to smuggle the necessary equipment.
According to the British security think tank, Ukraine loses about 10,000 UAVs every month. The country has raised concerns that Beijing’s new rules will disrupt the military supply chain for Kiev ahead of winter.
“These obstacles increase Russia’s advantage,” the NYT writes.