Ukraine’s new defence minister pushes for more domestic drones

KYIV – The Ukrainian military is working to replace Chinese-made drones with domestically produced models to reduce the war-ravaged nation’s dependence on imports and sanctioned supply lines, said newly appointed Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov.

The 34-year-old, who was appointed in January, told reporters in Kyiv that Ukraine would continue to rely on drones as a tool of asymmetric warfare – using novel weapons and tactics against a larger opponent –

as it fends off Russia’s invasion.

Both countries have drastically increased drone production since the full-scale invasion began in 2022, with Ukraine saying in 2025 that it could produce as many as four million per year.

Imported drones and components remain crucial, however, and many come from China, which is subject to Western sanctions and seen as friendly to Russia.

“It is important to find a replacement for Mavics and other Chinese drones,” Mr Fedorov said, referring to a common consumer model produced by the Chinese company DJI. “This direction must be developed.”

He added that Ukraine plans to create a local version with the same camera but a longer flight range, with testing potentially beginning as soon as January.

Russia has also sent waves of Geran-2 one-way attack drones, essentially propeller-driven cruise missiles, into Ukraine almost daily. Although air defence missiles can spot and destroy them, the cost of using those systems is far higher than that of the drones themselves.

To address that challenge, Ukraine offered defence companies the chance to test cheap interceptor drones against the Geran-2s on the front line, paying US$20,000 (S$25,600) for each Russian drone destroyed. Those incentives helped boost supplies of interceptors to nearly 40,000 in January. 

Mr Fedorov, who oversaw Ukraine’s digital transformation and technology policy as deputy prime minister for more than six years, is a strong advocate of drone-centric warfare.

He is among President Volodymyr Zelensky’s most trusted officials and is also widely popular as a young technocrat. Over the course of the war, he helped secure critical technologies for Ukraine’s military, including Mr Elon Musk’s Starlink terminals and drones.

Mr Fedorov said the next key initiative will be creating special units to hunt down Russian drone operators on the battlefield.

“The President set a clear task: build a system capable of stopping the enemy in the air, halting advances on the ground, and intensifying asymmetric and cyberstrikes against the enemy and its economy,” he said.

“Make the cost of war for Russia one it cannot sustain, thereby forcing peace through strength.” BLOOMBERG