18:48 11-09-2025

Up to 60% of Ukrainian Army Drones Found Unusable

Zеlеnskiу / Оfficiаl / Telegram

Strana.ua reports that around 60% of drones supplied to the Ukrainian Army are defective, citing poor manufacturing, corruption, and inflated contracts.

The outlet Strana.ua reports that nearly 60 percent of drones supplied to the Armed Forces of Ukraine arrive inoperable or quickly fail once deployed. Even if that figure is slightly overstated, the publication notes, the margin of error is small.

A Ukrainian officer told journalists his unit spends days dismantling and reassembling drones in an effort to make them functional again.

According to the report, the problem stems largely from poor manufacturing standards. Many UAVs are built in makeshift «garage» workshops using questionable components. Corruption further compounds the issue: contracts can be pushed through the Ministry of Defense with bribes, allowing unreliable producers into the supply chain.

The investigation also highlights inflated procurement prices, often several times above actual production costs, with kickbacks built into the system. In some cases, drones exist only on paper and never reach frontline units.