Ukraine's 2025 drone imports soar with 98% arriving from China
Ukraine has imported a staggering 127,800 civilian drones, valued at $371.3 million, in the first quarter of 2025. An overwhelming 98% of these UAVs originate from China, benefiting from customs duty exemptions, reported Ukraine's Customs Service's.
According to the agency's report, "In the first three months of 2025, Ukraine imported 127,800 civilian unmanned aerial vehicles, with a total cost of $371.3 million, which marks a $103 million (or 39%) increase over the same period in 2024."
Notably, a significant 98% of these imported drones enjoyed customs duty exemptions, underscoring their financial impact.
China remains Ukraine’s dominant supplier of civilian drones. During the first quarter of 2025, the volume of imports from China reached 125,700 units, accounting for the lion's share of UAV imports.
In 2025, Ukraine's Ministry of Defense aims to procure 4.5 million FPV drones for the Armed Forces.
Earlier reports revealed that the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Digital Transformation have already contracted 1.8 million drones for the Armed Forces for 2024-2025, amounting to 147 billion hryvnias ($3.54 billion )