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Ukraine has built a fast-growing drone industry since 2022, with hundreds of local makers producing millions of drones and changing how the war is fought.
In short: Ukraine’s civilian tech scene has shifted into mass drone production, and it is now a central part of the country’s defense against Russia.
Ukraine’s drone effort started after Russia’s 2022 invasion with small teams building prototypes in garages, often using imported parts. It has since grown into an industry of about 500 Ukrainian drone makers, up from just seven before the war.
These companies built around four million drones in 2025, according to the report, and Ukraine has set a 2026 target of seven million. The New York Times report also says Ukrainian drones now account for about 70 percent of confirmed Russian equipment losses.
The drones themselves cover many jobs on the battlefield. Some are FPV (first-person view) “kamikaze” drones used against armored vehicles and trenches, like a remote-controlled model with a camera. Others are built to intercept incoming Russian Shahed drones. Ukraine has also used longer-range drones to strike targets deeper in Russia, including a June 2025 operation that damaged about 20 aircraft across multiple bases.
One notable step is “final strike” drones that can be set up to hit a target after a pilot programs the route and leaves. This is not full autonomy (a fully independent robot), but it reduces the need for a human to steer the drone every second, which can matter when signals are jammed.
A key driver is Brave1, a government-backed marketplace where frontline units can order directly from approved makers and quickly report what worked and what failed. Ukraine is also signing production deals abroad, including agreements in early 2026 with Danish, Finnish, and Latvian partners.
Ukraine’s drone makers are working under pressure, including funding shortages and Russian attacks on production sites. Russia is also expanding its own drone use, including drones connected by fiber-optic cables (like a drone on a long, thin tether) that are harder to disrupt. Western support could speed up Ukraine’s manufacturing and help its firms sell into European markets.
Source: NYTimes
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