OPINION — The struggle in Ukraine has advanced into a posh geopolitical battle, formed not solely by army technique however by international financial dependencies. While Western nations proceed to supply monetary and army help, a vital vulnerability has emerged: Ukraine’s heavy reliance on Chinese drone elements. The Ukrainian drone producers with whom I’ve spoken admit that their drones are constructed from as a lot as 65% Chinese elements. This dependence, whereas tactically crucial, has a paradoxical consequence: Western help inadvertently strengthens the very provide chains that additionally profit Russia, thereby prolonging the battle.
Ultimately, Ukraine will solely win this struggle by forcing Russia to spend sufficient that persevering with to ship troopers and gear into Ukraine turns into financially untenable. Because China maintains a strategic place in international expertise manufacturing—particularly in drone components—each Ukraine and Russia draw from the identical pool of assets, albeit by means of completely different channels. This paradox raises pressing questions concerning the effectiveness of Western help and the long-term technique for ending the struggle.
Rather than persevering with to fund Ukraine’s drone purchases, the West ought to prioritize dismantling Chinese provide chain dominance. Doing so wouldn’t solely weaken Russia’s entry to vital applied sciences but additionally strengthen Western industrial capability and scale back international reliance on China. Economic technique, not simply army help, is essential to resolving the struggle in Ukraine and getting ready for future international conflicts.
Ukraine’s Dependence on Chinese Drone Components
Since the onset of Russia’s full-scale invasion, drones have grow to be a cornerstone of Ukraine’s protection. During a current journey to the Ukrainian entrance traces, a Ukrainian commander defined, “The DJI Mavic is the king of battle. Nothing else is even shut.” DJI drones are manufactured in China, and by 2023, Ukraine was reportedly buying as much as 30% of the corporate’s international Mavic manufacturing.
This dependence, nevertheless, has grow to be a strategic legal responsibility. In 2024 and 2025, China imposed export restrictions on drone elements to Ukraine, together with flight controllers, motors, and navigation cameras. Through this reliance, Ukraine is handing China management over its skill to maintain the struggle. These restrictions have severely disrupted Ukraine’s drone provide chain, resulting in shortages on the entrance traces and forcing army items to hunt options.
This dynamic reveals a troubling actuality: the identical Chinese elements Ukraine relies on have been present in Russian drones, together with the Iranian-designed Shahed loitering munitions used to assault Ukrainian cities.
China’s Dual Role: Restricting Ukraine, Empowering Russia
China’s position within the Ukraine battle is marked by strategic ambiguity—publicly claiming neutrality whereas quietly enabling Russia’s struggle effort. This posture has had profound penalties for each side of the battlefield. On one hand, China has imposed export restrictions on drone elements to Ukraine, severely limiting its skill to supply drones for frontline operations. On the opposite hand, China continues to produce Russia with dual-use applied sciences, akin to semiconductors, drone engines, and optical sensors, that are vital to sustaining Moscow’s drone manufacturing. And lastly, shopping for Chinese elements strengthens China’s financial system, which allows them to help disruptive regimes, specifically Russia.
Evidence of China’s help for Russia is mounting. In July 2025, Ukraine imposed sanctions on 5 Chinese corporations after recovering Chinese-made components from downed Russian Shahed drones which had been utilized in assaults on Kyiv. These corporations—starting from precision munitions producers to logistics suppliers—had been supplying elements that bypass Western sanctions. This selective restriction technique advantages Russia disproportionately.
Despite efforts to scale home manufacturing, Ukraine’s drone trade stays constrained by restricted entry to vital elements and manufacturing capability, making purchases from China a necessity. The result’s a battlefield dynamic during which Ukraine’s technological edge is more and more undermined by its dependence on a provide chain managed by a rustic that’s, at finest, strategically ambiguous, and at worst, actively enabling Russia’s struggle effort.
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Western Funding and Its Unintended Consequences
While Western nations have poured billions into Ukraine’s drone trade with the intent of giving them a battlefield benefit, a good portion of Ukraine’s drone manufacturing nonetheless relies on Chinese elements. This creates a troubling paradox: Western funding meant to assist Ukraine could also be not directly sustaining Chinese provide chains that profit Russia. The drawback is not only tactical—it’s structural. Western help has targeted on scaling manufacturing moderately than rebuilding provide chains.
Many Ukrainian drone factories that declare home manufacturing are literally solely assembling imported Chinese elements. And it’s not their fault; there are not any viable options to the Chinese elements wanted to fabricate superior drones. This dependency undermines the strategic worth of Western funding and dangers prolonging the struggle by conserving each side tethered to the identical international provide community.
Strategic Shift: Replace Chinese Supply Chains
To really help Ukraine—and to organize for future geopolitical challenges—Western nations should rethink their strategy. Funding must be redirected from drone purchases to constructing resilient, non-Chinese provide chains. This means investing in home and allied manufacturing of vital elements, supporting Ukrainian innovation by means of switch of elements, and creating joint manufacturing hubs in Europe and North America which promote to Ukraine at backed costs. Doing so may have the secondary profit of building manufacturing capability and experience in Europe and North America, whereas concurrently decreasing money stream to China. Only by severing the hyperlink to Chinese provide chains can the West be sure that its help will not be inadvertently resourcing its adversaries.
Momentum is constructing for this modification. In 2025, the U.S. authorities launched a sequence of legislative reforms, together with the “Unleashing American Drone Dominance” Executive Order, which mandates prioritization of U.S.-made drones for federal companies. This was adopted by the DoD Procurement Directive and the FY2025 National Defense Authorization Act, which expanded budgets and imposed new limitations on international drones. These strikes have catalyzed a surge in funding, and there appears to be better emphasis on the horizon.
Europe can also be pivoting. The Atlantic Council’s technique transient outlines a complete “protect-promote-align” framework to safe provide chains. This contains banning Chinese drones in delicate sectors, selling home manufacturing, and aligning insurance policies throughout NATO, the EU, and the G7. The purpose is evident: construct a resilient, safe, and democratic drone ecosystem that may face up to geopolitical shocks and help allied protection wants.
Replacing Chinese provide chains is not going to solely shorten the struggle in Ukraine by chopping off Russia’s entry to vital applied sciences—it is going to additionally strengthen Western readiness for future conflicts. It will create jobs, foster innovation, and restore strategic autonomy.
The struggle in Ukraine will not be solely a take a look at of army resilience however a mirrored image of worldwide financial interdependence. Ukraine’s reliance on Chinese drone elements has created a strategic paradox—one during which Western help could also be inadvertently sustaining the very provide chains that empower Russia. China’s twin position, proscribing Ukraine whereas enabling Russia, underscores the urgency of rethinking how help is structured. Continued funding for drone purchases, with out addressing the underlying provide chain vulnerabilities, dangers prolonging the battle and weakening the West’s strategic place.
To really assist Ukraine win, the West should shift its focus from short-term battlefield options to long-term financial technique. Replacing Chinese provide chains is not only about drones—it’s about restoring industrial sovereignty, decreasing dependence on authoritarian regimes, and getting ready for future conflicts. By investing in home and allied manufacturing, the West can construct a resilient protection ecosystem that serves each instant and future safety wants. Victory in Ukraine is not going to come solely by means of firepower—it is going to come by means of financial power, strategic foresight, and the braveness to reshape the programs that underpin trendy warfare. The time to behave is now.
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