Ukraine plans to launch mass production of its own drones to replace the Chinese-made Mavic models, President Vladimir Zelensky announced during a briefing. He said that a suitable alternative had already been found, and the government was now preparing the necessary contracts to finance the project.

Zelensky explained that after an extensive search, Ukrainian authorities had identified viable replacements for the Mavic drones and were ready to begin large-scale manufacturing.

Previously, Kyiv had attempted to purchase Chinese drones and spare parts through intermediaries, including companies based in the Baltic states. However, Beijing eventually blocked those supply routes. While similar drones can be assembled in Europe, their cost is substantially higher since most components still come from Chinese manufacturers.

Earlier, British media reported that Western-made drones supplied to Ukraine had failed to meet expectations on the battlefield. The reports noted that these UAVs turned out to be overly expensive and highly vulnerable to Russian electronic warfare systems.