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News & Current Events Mar 29, 2026 at 7:27 PM

Zelenskyy says 10 drone factories have been built worldwide behind Ukraine’s back | Ukrainska Pravda

Posted by pheexio

Zelenskyy says 10 Ukrainian interceptor drone factories have been built "behind the state's back"
Ukrainska Pravda
Zelenskyy says 10 Ukrainian interceptor drone factories have been built "behind the state's back"
Volodymyr Zelenskyy says around 10 interceptor drone factories have been set up in different parts of the world without the state’s knowledge.
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relative_motion Mar 29, 2026 +9228
There’s a larger story here. It’s been reported that multiple western startups and legacy arms companies have visited Ukraine’s drone manufacturing facilities under the guise that they are providing some industry expertise just for them to gather information and turn around to produce their own drones.
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Low-Towel-5932 Mar 29, 2026 +5010
So they’ve been exploited.
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RadicalOrganizer Mar 29, 2026 +2925
Capitalism at its finest.
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Rude_Initial_5746 Mar 29, 2026 +752
The Chinese do it best. The rest of the world is catching up.
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TheAngryPenguin23 Mar 29, 2026 +573
Not sure why you are pointing at China specifically here when the article specifically calls another country out. >According to Zelenskyy, one company has sold 1,000 interceptor drones to a certain country for US$3.5 million. >"[The figure is] in dollars, just so it's clear which country and where these interceptors have ended up. That's not a problem. We could have simply given these interceptors to this partner free of charge. In principle, right now we can produce up to 2,000 a day, but we only have funding for 1,000. So this is not an issue," he said.
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EclipticDawn Mar 29, 2026 +171
I think they're referring to the fact that on a consumer grade, drones from the like of DJI are a league ahead of western equivalents.
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RickAstleyletmedown Mar 29, 2026 +97
The article is about interceptor drones, I.e., the kind used to intercept incoming missiles and Shahed drones. It’s an entirely different beast.
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DramaticWesley Mar 29, 2026 +56
They really aren’t. They are different use cases. Predator drones (which the U.S. uses) can strike a target with its operator on the other side of the globe. You have to be within a couple miles to use the DJI variation. Maybe you can use commercial telecom, but that isn’t really reliable. While Ukraine used a bunch of FPV drones in the beginning of the war (the tiny ones you could probably buy at Walmart right now), they have developed their own long range drones that fly much faster and can carry a larger payload. It’s this they use to attack well beyond the Russian border. It is an equivalent to the Iranian Shahed drones. That Iran was selling thousands of them to Russia and have a large stockpile of them is further reason not to have gone to war with Iran.
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W31337 Mar 29, 2026 +49
Yes and a ton of c**** drones will penetrate defenses where a few expensive ones won't. People still aren't seeing how conventional defense systems can get overrun by 10000 cardboard drones with a mortar strapped to it. China as everyone knows can build c**** at mass. That makes China uniquely equipped to take on the world with drones. Making them very dangerous if they can copy the tech created by Ukraine.
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Time_Durian3354 Mar 29, 2026 +56
They can. It's not a question. They could do whatever Ukraine is doing, but on a scale that would make Ukraine look like a 7-11 next to a Costco.
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Putrid_Anybody_2947 Mar 30, 2026 +16
The pseudoquote from a german general talking about americans in ww2 " for every tiger tank they destroyed they lost ten sherman tanks. Problem was america always sent 11 tanks" Or quantity has a quality of its own.
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mdeeebeee-101 Mar 30, 2026 +5
Glad someone said this. Swarms win over 1 billion dollar single attack vehicles in many many scenarios. I'm surprised USA never got on it at speed to have their own. The machinary of the future has been honed in this war.
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Squint_603 Mar 30, 2026 +2
User name checks #LEET
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Cleanbriefs Mar 30, 2026 +9
Interceptor drones have to fly faster than regular drones so the software has to do double duty and the power and response times can’t have any lags. Interceptor drone tech is far too valuable.
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thesnowsm Mar 30, 2026 +3
people are making 600km/h drones at home using 3d printers and Chinese parts. you can reverse engineer the tech from their YouTube videos...
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Cleanbriefs Mar 30, 2026 +2
And the interception part???? Yes racing drones are a thing but they still need to acquire and lock on a target…
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broguequery Mar 30, 2026 +9
Ironically, if the argument had been going to war with Iran *specifically to stop them supplying Russia*, I think you might have gotten more people on board. This is a turd sandwich situation: Iran and Russia suck, but Trump sucks worse. There are no good options.
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havoc764 Mar 30, 2026 +5
going to war with iran for killing up to 20.000 civilians would also have been a pretty reasonable excuse. No country that opens fire on it's own unarmed populace to such a degree has a right to exist.
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Rare_Appointment_604 Mar 30, 2026 +3
I don't think you understand the differences between the different UAV types. FPV drones have become the most terrifying weapon on the battlefield, both sides are manufacturing and using them in insane numbers. The long range weapons like Shaheds or even Predators are both entirely different classes with entirely different mission profiles and infrastructure requirements.
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Dransel Mar 29, 2026 +251
Because China notoriously did this for years to catch up to many western countries across various sectors? China is known for blatant IP theft, even across sectors like agriculture. I’m not saying the US or other western countries don’t do this, but China is literally the standout country in this category. Ultimately, China acted in their best interest… I can’t hate on them for doing that, but there’s also no reason to ignore what they did. Global impact aside, China did what was best for themselves, and their people (I believe) were better off for it.
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Apprehensive-Risk542 Mar 29, 2026 +83
it's all a matter of timing. The US was well known for copying British textile machines, British books and other European tech early on-- it was US policy, to ignore IP protection in other countries to encourage growth. Read about Samuel Slater and Fracis Cabot Lowell. Once the US began to lead innovation, it became interested in IP protections...
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Few-Sheepherder-1655 Mar 29, 2026 +79
China and the Soviet Union mastered the art of reverse engineering. The soviets never really got past the blueprint side, but the Chinese have shown the ability to do it to also learn.
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ChiefWiggumsprogeny Mar 29, 2026 +73
That's because they also manufacture on behalf of the western tech companies they copy; not much of that going on on the U.S.S.R.
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ZumboPrime Mar 30, 2026 +31
It's a lot easier to copy a design when you're actively manufacturing that design in your own factories.
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gammalsvenska Mar 30, 2026 +7
It's even easier when the owner of said design also manufactures that design in your own factories.
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Aggravating-Neat1768 Mar 30, 2026 +2
True, not much of anything going on in the USSR these days.
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lurkANDorganize Mar 29, 2026 +15
Its such an interesting case study to compare their two corruption. They are fundamentally different in that regard. It is the difference that leads to actual science and engineering for one and abject failure for the other.
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SlugFromSnug Mar 29, 2026 +19
US also pretty good at using nazis to build rockets and missiles
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DillBagner Mar 29, 2026 +34
Used to be. The only nazi still involved with rockets just owns the company.
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Sad_Progress4388 Mar 30, 2026 +2
Just like the USSR
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lostparis Mar 29, 2026 +3
All countries have done this. The West stole all China's IP in the distant past - paper, gun powder, silk. This is just a stage countries go through.
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Few-Sheepherder-1655 Mar 29, 2026 +7
I don’t think they had a patent for those things back then😂
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DearCartographer Mar 29, 2026 +8
They kind of did. They certainly were not sharing those technologies freely. They were forced at gunpoint to give them up.
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Key_Construction6007 Mar 29, 2026 -1
Yeah, notoriously complex ip like gun powder, paper, and silk
-1
lostparis Mar 29, 2026 +15
The secret of silk in particular was unknown outside of China for centuries.
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elementalist001 Mar 29, 2026 +10
It should've been easily replaceable without all the effort they went through to steal it, if it was a simple product.
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mrpops2ko Mar 30, 2026 +6
yep i don't know why some people are so shocked to learn this, or even dispute it. one of the major reasons why a lot of highly confidential tech isn't manufactured in china is purely because its known that once you do share important designs, those very designs and schematics are going to be exfiltrated and fanned out to a variety of other companies to learn from and if not build direct replicas, build something heavily inspired from it.
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TheAngryPenguin23 Mar 29, 2026 +12
China may be the poster child, but I’m trying to encourage people to actually read the article. Zelenskyy’s quote is right there.
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Clearwater_9196 Mar 30, 2026 +4
Operation paperclip. You sound as if the USA invented the jet engine.
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Rezmir Mar 29, 2026 +3
Well, it gets really easy when you send your factories to China. Military? Just reverse engineering. I mean, mostly everything is like this no?
3
Bagafeet Mar 29, 2026 +2
The IRL piratebay lmao
2
ElusiveBlueFlamingo Mar 29, 2026 +10
Because China was and is know to do that on a massive scale
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stumuzz Mar 29, 2026 +3
Is that why Trump dismissed Zelenskyy's offer in the middle East. He didn't want Zelenskyy to find out he stole his drone plans a sold knock off ones at a massive profit.
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fancysauce_boss Mar 30, 2026 +3
The person you’re replying to is pointing out that the Chinese for decades have done 2 things 1) purchased 1 unit of something and reverse engineer it and then mass produce a Chinese version of it. It has nothing to do specifically with drones (while they may be doing that) or 2) pull a patent and then blatantly copy it staying patent / copyright law has no meaning in china and they don’t have to follow it. The comment was more a commentary on the rest of the world “catching up” to china in regard to doing these types of things.
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Over-Helicopter4104 Mar 29, 2026 +8
When I lived in Beijing the joke was if you checked your coat they would take it apart, copy the pattern and sew it back before you finished dinner. That actually happened with my passport. I had to get a new visa so turned over passport and paperwork and supposed to get it back in a week, finally got returned to me 8 weeks later and the consulate said my passport was likely used to import cars. So no harm unless I wanted to import a car and I’ve already hit my limit
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Phiarmage Mar 29, 2026 +5
It was a comment on the quantity/quality of China's well documented subterfuge, not a comment on the national involved in this article.
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madeformarch Mar 30, 2026 +2
Reading comprehension is a b****.
2
KJatWork Mar 29, 2026 +5
He wasn't saying the article was specifically about China. He was calling out China for their historical practice of copying other's tech and then pointing out others (like in the article) were working to catch up to them in the practice of stealing other's ideas and tech.
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GMAN7007 Mar 29, 2026 +4
Because China does in fact to it best. China has opened 22 full 1-1 apple stores that aren't even official apple stores. They're not even apple resellers officially at least. They even have the same clothing and name tags. They'll steal an IP they want nobody can really stop them.
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TheRealKorrom Mar 30, 2026 +2
They are referring to the fact that China has a rich history of industrial espionage under the guise of joint ventures and technology cooperations. The have been the experts at this for the last 70+ years. Now the western countries use those same methods. Doesn’t make them more sympathetic, though.
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BlipBlapBloppityBoop Mar 29, 2026 +59
American success was built on stealing industrial IP from adult nations during the 1800s.
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eljefino Mar 29, 2026 +18
[Here's a good read](https://www.history.com/articles/industrial-revolution-spies-europe). Of note, Britain wanted to colonize America to grab raw materials to finish (add value) back home. Sounds pretty familiar time and time again.
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Metals4J Mar 30, 2026 +12
And part of the reason Rome invaded Britain 2000 years ago was to grab their resources and send them back home. Same old story.
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HeftyArgument Mar 29, 2026 +6
the chinese are great at reverse engineering, but they don't even have to do that. western companies make the deal willingly and get c**** manufacturing as an even trade.
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Davosz_ Mar 29, 2026 -2
I'm going to wager that the OG capitalist, America, do it best.
-2
Nolenag Mar 29, 2026 +29
Capitalism is older than the US.
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Davosz_ Mar 30, 2026 +4
Yeah, i concede. Totally true. My mistake.
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CMDR_ACE209 Mar 29, 2026 +6
Do the americans know?
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Neither-Luck-9295 Mar 30, 2026 +7
Of course we know. Jesus invented it in the constitution.
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lostparis Mar 29, 2026 +12
For many Americans there is no history before the US invented everything.
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Fear_the_chicken Mar 29, 2026 +4
The person who said America is the OG capitalist prob isn’t American or if they are it was an insult not to brag.
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Graddler Mar 29, 2026 +31
The OG capitalists ain't Murica. That goes to the Italians, Dutch and Brits.
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Ill_Specific_6144 Mar 29, 2026 +8
You think tech theft didnt happen under communism? Lol
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lamBerticus Mar 29, 2026 +39
This has zero things to do with an underlying economic system and has been going on for millenia. Also, producing decent drones at scale is not all that difficult.
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the0411hammer Mar 29, 2026 +13
Not even close to true. Capitalism intrinsically requires stepping over others for the sake of profits. These groups just see an opportunity to cash in on a business before others do the same so they’ll go anything they can to get a leg up and make the most profit.
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ImportantCommentator Mar 29, 2026 +27
I disagree. Even if all countries were communist, countries would still be participating in subterfuge and stealing each others intellectual property.
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Tallowo Mar 29, 2026 +8
Negative externalities are built into the equation and accepted. "Who cares if 2,000 people in the town down the river are poisoned? We are providing food for hundred's of thousands of people!"
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lamBerticus Mar 29, 2026 +11
Nope, this is not a requirement. Learn some economics.
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rogersaintjames Mar 29, 2026 +3
"millenia"
3
Laecer21 Mar 29, 2026 +8
„Capitalism is when people copy something.“
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LearingCenterAlumni Mar 29, 2026 +3
Don't even try, the Soviet famously visited many factories in the west for the purpose of industrial espionage. They would also wear special shoes that would gather the metal fillings from the milling machine for analysis of alloys. My guess is that you don't know what capitalism means.
3
UberWidget Mar 29, 2026 +2
Unfortunately, theft was the first profession, not the other thing people usually mention.
2
YouCanChangeItRight Mar 29, 2026 +34
Corporate espionage at its finest
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SpyDiego Mar 29, 2026 +40
Hopefully they weren't so stupid to think they were 100% genuine
40
suzisatsuma Mar 30, 2026 +7
It's naive beyond belief to think that other nations around the world wouldn't do something similar to be able to control/compete.
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CommercialStyle1647 Mar 29, 2026 +3
I mean if that leads to more drones available for Ukraine i sure think they wouldnt mind.
3
Sarellion Mar 29, 2026 +213
The article only mentions ukrainian companies building on foreign soil. The espionage also happened or was it something like a hidden cooperation between these ukrainian and foreign companies?
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Fifth-Crusader Mar 30, 2026 +19
Could very well be both. While I believe espionage would be happening, Ukraine also has plenty of incentive to have manufacturing capability beyond their own borders.
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Big-Compote-5483 Mar 29, 2026 +55
This shit happens here all the time. There's a reason they mostly don't let foreigners work in the most advanced/best units and it's not just a language barrier.
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Aden1970 Mar 30, 2026 +9
Just look at the Chinese Airbus copy
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PositiveUse Mar 29, 2026 +140
Welcome to economic and military espionage
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heimdallofasgard Mar 29, 2026 +86
I'm pretty sure drone know-how and experience was one of the tangible things Ukraine offered to allies in exchange for continued support...
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axecalibur Mar 30, 2026 +2
Why pay the cow when you can sell the milk factory for billions?
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CommercialComputer15 Mar 29, 2026 +23
Yep https://www.wsj.com/politics/national-security/trump-sons-back-new-drone-company-targeting-pentagon-sales-2f74abca
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ShootPosting Mar 29, 2026 +25
The Amazon Basics way
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Ephialties Mar 29, 2026 +59
Ukraine has a programme dedicated to ripping apart tech and reverse engineering it to then sell it back into the EU. I mean, it sucks in terms of business but it is essential for them for survival. Firms send tech out their to battle prove it as a way to get that “deployed in Ukraine” badge but then they see the exact same tech bouncing back into the EU from a UKR company. If your stuff isn’t backed by a government framework of some kind then UKR will just nab the IP since they won’t lose any political bargaining chips.
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CMDR_ACE209 Mar 29, 2026 +34
Pretty hard for me to blame them for that while they are fighting for survival.
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Diarmundy Mar 30, 2026 +17
But it's pretty hypocritical for them to then accuse others for stealing their tech
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Dabbling_in_Pacifism Mar 30, 2026 +8
I feel like something was lost in translation, but I don’t think Z was accusing anyone of stealing anything, but was angry at Ukrainian companies dedicating effort to foreign production of Ukrainian arms solely for export at the potential expense of Ukrainian supplies. It seems like he’s not even angry about the export sales because they have the capacity already in Ukraine to sustain their own efforts as well as double current production for export, but that the companies concerned are operating behind the backs of the government while enjoying government contracts.
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OGoby Mar 30, 2026 +2
They do it for self preservation, others for profit. Big difference.
2
StudySpecial Mar 29, 2026 +18
Isn’t this what happens in every industry? People look at what competitors are doing and update their products to incorporate ideas. Ukraine doesn’t have a patent on the concept of putting an explosive on a FPV drone. They have a head start and if they use it they’ll be quite successful selling their tech but they can’t seriously expect other companies not to build similar things. It’s not super complicated tech.
18
fusa42 Mar 29, 2026 +3
Are there any Trump drone factories yet?
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the_djd Mar 29, 2026 +16
Well they tried, but the drones were only targeting young girls
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GetoBoi Mar 29, 2026 +4
Well they backed a [company called "Powerus"](https://www.wsj.com/politics/national-security/trump-sons-back-new-drone-company-targeting-pentagon-sales-2f74abca)
4
IntelArtiGen Mar 29, 2026 +18
It's not fair, but the "West" has also helped Ukraine a lot, and if it's able to produce more drones it'll also be able to help Ukraine more. Everyone wins. + these ukrainian companies are often paid by the ukrainian state, which is paid by western states.
18
heydropi Mar 29, 2026 +13
Yes but we should want Ukraine to „have cards“. Unfortunately it’s not enough that Ukraine perfectly represents a people trying to choose freedom and security against a historic invader. In our movies we are told that’s what counts, and maybe for current EU (for now) that does somewhat count, but really it’s about Ukraine being a useful ally too.
13
kozak_ Mar 30, 2026 +2
Except Ukrainian drone manufacturer will still be better since tested in battle
2
rumoku Mar 29, 2026 +1772
People in the comments seem to be missing some important context and are interpreting the news incorrectly. What’s actually happening is that the same companies producing drones in Ukraine have expanded internationally, setting up factories abroad and manufacturing similar drones in other countries. The key issue here is that the government has not authorised the export of defence-related drone technology. This is part of an ongoing debate, with valid arguments on both sides. In reality, though, it’s very difficult to fully control or prevent the transfer of know-how. One of these companies already holds a government contract worth around $300 million, yet that didn’t stop them from selling drones to another country for roughly $3.5 million. There’s also an implied warning that this company may face consequences — potentially even losing its government contract, which could be reassigned elsewhere. UPD: as others pointing out, there might be cases of stolen intellectual property related to drone development, certainly, but in this article he is not talking about it.
1772
I_call_Shennanigans_ Mar 29, 2026 +213
I'd assume the leaders of said companies could be charged with something interesting as well if there's an export embargo on it for now. 
213
PradyThe3rd Mar 29, 2026 +80
I don't know who the owners of the company are but if they're in anyway connected to the American MIC they likely won't face any consequences. Even if it's entirely justified, the orange idiot won't take this well and zelensky can't afford to piss off that insufferable c*** even more
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I_call_Shennanigans_ Mar 29, 2026 +30
Sadly that's just too true. damn the USAnians for letting that happen to the world. 
30
Alikont Mar 29, 2026 +15
The thing is, that majority of Ukrainian public supports lifting the export embargo, because this is what people fear - companies follow the money, and move production out of Ukraine. Ukraine bans any weapon export, even when it's excess production that can't be purchased by the government, lifting the export embargo is a political topic tied to aid mostly, because it's hard to explain defense economic to average western voter ("Why do we need to send them weapons when they sell our weapons to arabs?!!")
15
Worried_Metal_5788 Mar 29, 2026 +2
Maybe, but that doesn’t get you what you want, which is the drones. You want the drones, they make the drones, so you get the domes from them. Bringing charges probably doesn’t help get you drones.
2
Gronferi Mar 29, 2026 +10
I agree that it’s very hard to control know-how, but that just makes it even more impressive that Taiwan alone produces 95% of the world’s advanced superconductors. How has that info not leaked yet?
10
doubled9000 Mar 29, 2026 +41
The info is well known in that case. It’s more the process that is the problem. A very advanced process that has some of the most fine tuned details at every stage requiring people and systems that know exactly what they are doing and executing with un-paralleled precision. Things like this are very hard to replicate, which is why even to this day there are regions of the world that specialize in things that no one can copy well. Culture eats strategy (or in this case, even know-how) for breakfast
41
WingerRules Mar 30, 2026 +7
> which is why even to this day there are regions of the world that specialize in things that no one can copy well. Economic theory & research shows that economies become more efficient when trading with each other because what ends up happening is that each country ends up specializing in certain industries and becomes better at it than countries that try to produce everything. Countries then use stuff they're cheaper at producing to trade for the superior products.
7
broguequery Mar 30, 2026 +2
This is one of those things that could be solved with an ounce of national dedication. Biden made an attempt... and was promptly scuttled by the powers that be.
2
doubled9000 Mar 30, 2026 +4
Oh it can be solved, I agree. But it takes more than an ounce. Look at China, dumping hundreds of billions for decades into this very thing and still hasn’t been able to catch up (though they’re making progress). The chip factory that Taiwan’s TSMC IS operating in Phoenix (which is not even fabricating their most advanced semi conductors) has had tons of delays because first the precision of construction was not to their standard and then finding qualified workers was literally impossible, so they had to create a new educational program at ASU and wait for people to get trained properly before ramping up production. When you get into things like this, there are problem after problem that will come up and will be intertwined with broader societal and cultural issues, not all of which can be easily overcome, and many of which require more than just money to do so.
4
ge6irb8gua93l Mar 29, 2026 +4
Similarly, Finland produces world's best ice breakers and motors for large ocean ships. Even if they theoretically knew how somewhere else it would be next to impossible to make them there, because the network of companies and accumulated practical know-how about the process needed for that is embedded locally.
4
TP70 Mar 29, 2026 +4
Then the title is misleading
4
Alikont Mar 29, 2026 +3
The title isn't misleading if you're in context of Ukrainian defense economics, but it's really a weird and complicated topic.
3
Aerottawa Mar 29, 2026 +256
FYI these are the type are drones designed to shoot down Shahed drones. Here is a video of them: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okQlmZJkbBk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okQlmZJkbBk) My guess is they will be supplied to gulf countries.
256
iR0nCond0r Mar 29, 2026 +68
Are there drones that shoot down the drones that shoot down the drones?
68
KjellRS Mar 29, 2026 +66
Probably, it's pretty much a speed run of military aviation just on a mini scale so instead of decade long projects there's new drones, counter-drones and counter-counter-drones coming every few months. Right now it seems drones fly solo but I wouldn't be surprised to see formation flying and smaller guard drones protecting bigger payload carrying drones.
66
OxMozzie Mar 30, 2026 +27
China doesn't do those drone light shows for nothing, formation flying and multiple types of drones acting out different roles in the skies are coming real soon.
27
ViolenceAdvocator Mar 30, 2026 +20
Making the drone fleet do a middle finger light show before forming a fist and barraging your position
20
Annual-Reason2970 Mar 30, 2026 +3
I have always thought: what would one of these setups do with small munitions attached? carpet bombing..
3
bork99 Mar 29, 2026 +453
Waiting for some entrepreneurial sociopath to patent the design “officially” and then sue Ukraine for royalties…
453
Stanimal3 Mar 29, 2026 +170
I wonder what Martin Shkreli’s up to these days?
170
aLokilike Mar 29, 2026 +71
Going to church every day and thanking the Lord for Trump and the Epstein scandal.
71
V8-6-4 Mar 29, 2026 +27
You can’t when there’s prior art.
27
bork99 Mar 29, 2026 +15
Wouldn't be the first time someone's tried
15
AftyOfTheUK Mar 30, 2026 +6
How would they get a patent in Ukraine? They would just choose not to grant it. Patents outside Ukraine are irrelevant
6
pm_plz_im_lonely Mar 30, 2026 +8
Don't logic the statement. People say words they've heard, their order doesn't matter, what matters is readers see words they've heard too.
8
Newhero2002 Mar 29, 2026 +4
Man that is some total bullshit if something like that can actually happen.
4
Erenzo Mar 29, 2026 +3
Technically it's possible but extremely unlikely. To patent something you have to prove you're the first person to create something like this and it may be a bit difficult since they'd be trying to prove that drone that's been used in a war for months, that was built in large quantities was in fact never created before... Basically, any patent office would call that bullshit out, and if it failed to do so Ukrainian government likely has A LOT of documentation proving they've been using this design for a long time before that someone tried to patent it
3
taytodd8 Mar 29, 2026 +709
Ukraine was hoping they could sell this info to other countries. Billion dollar deals that could have benefited Ukraine for decades. Sounds like he’s realizing that information isn’t worth as much when everyone already knows what you’re selling.
709
QuestionableEthics42 Mar 29, 2026 +445
*information isn't worth as much when you can steal it instead FTFY, they didn't build it independently, they stole the knowledge for it first from Ukraine under the guise of providing their expertise. Edit: actually it's even worse, it wasn't other companies stealing knowledge, it was Ukrainian ones building factories in other countries behind Ukraines back.
445
Huntynoonion Mar 29, 2026 +109
How very former soviet country of them
109
Any-Calligrapher2866 Mar 29, 2026 +34
Post Soviet Countries and getting fucked by their own oligarchs. Classic.
34
StanknBeans Mar 29, 2026 +22
Skipped right from downloading a car to downloading a drone. Those crafty pirates!
22
TroglodyteToes Mar 29, 2026 +10
I mean, sounds like there is a really efficient solution available for people that betray the motherland in times of war... they are drone experts after all.
10
rumoku Mar 29, 2026 +6
It’s a bit more complicated. Def Drone Companies invested heavily in research and development while some of them supplying Ukrainian army with minimal margin. To expand and strive they need to start selling around the world. It was brought up for quite some time to allow Ukrainian companies export drones, but government is rather reluctant to this. What we see is the result of failed government policy unfortunately.
6
Hot-Sexy-THICCPAWG69 Mar 29, 2026 +10
There is just a full-scale war going on is all.
10
becomingarobot Mar 29, 2026 +4
Establishing factories abroad, using foreign labour and resources and investment, does not preclude full engagement of Ukraine's limited resources, such as they are. A simple read of this is that these companies are diversifying, and in so doing, becoming more resilient and profitable. Why should we not support the existence of large Ukrainian defence/drone manufacturers that are not at risk of military strikes due to their location on foreign soil? Presumably they receive a premium from delivering these drones to rich nations, a profit that, at least in part, would be used to benefit the Ukrainian war effort.
4
voidvector Mar 29, 2026 +28
They are not in a monopolistic position in manufacturing or design. * China still beat them in scale and cost for manufacturing. * They haven't gotten any breakout design like the Iranian Shahed or Turkish Bayraktar that other countries are trying to copy. (Their anti-Shahed drone might if proven successful in the hands of other operators.) Their only moat is they are Western aligned, which to most is not a big sell.
28
Top_Investigator6261 Mar 29, 2026 +11
Ukraine has plenty of “breakout designs”, or rather, breakout systems in terms of their lethality and cost-efficiency. Deep strike drones, drone interceptors, small-mid recon drones, drone bombers, specialized c**** kamikaze drones. For instance, instead of buying a $1000 kamikaze drone from Ukraine you wouldn’t want to buy an American counterpart for $40,000. And the US won’t sell you dozens of thousands on a short notice no matter the price.
11
Rich-Employment7897 Mar 29, 2026 +8
What do you even talking about? The shahed is also mostly just reversed engineered. And who cares about the Bayraktar? Its useless in most cases, of you dont have air superiority. The interceptor drones already are successfully lol That's why they uae, Saudi Arabia etc. Want them so desperately.
8
Potential_Pay2095 Mar 29, 2026 +8
Plus, these drones are not really complex. A couple of university students could reverse engineer one in like a day or so
8
lamepundit Mar 29, 2026 +6
I really hope Zelensky and Ukraine are truly vindicated on the world stage someday. Maybe post Trumpism, if the US can stop gargling nutsacks and we can get our shit together nationally, we can be one of the first to offer real support, even if our global presence is neutered by the orange-a-tan-g
6
challah505 Mar 29, 2026 +16
Kushner Enterprises was one I’m sure
16
Obeetwokenobee Mar 29, 2026 +92
Context: he's busy been visiting Saudi and co to offer to help them with drones. He's obviously just been informed that they can get them cheaper etc.
92
SomeRandomSomeWhere Mar 29, 2026 +24
Getting the drones c**** from elsewhere is one thing. Getting the expertise to use them well is another.
24
TheBlueSully Mar 29, 2026 +6
They’re getting plenty of opportunities to learn though!
6
Opposite-Shoulder260 Mar 29, 2026 +2
is it tho? At that point I think your comment is just coping. This is not a really high tech weapon.
2
gwizonedam Mar 29, 2026 +3
Tell me you have never flown a drone without telling me you’ve never flown a drone.
3
Opposite-Shoulder260 Mar 29, 2026 +8
exactly because I have drones I can tell you that is really not that much tech, most of the complications (military wise) are in the battery and jamming departments. Anyways the Shahed interceptors are more high tech and autonomous but again the drone itself is simple, the fun is in the software.
8
dvowel Mar 29, 2026 +34
Probably a lot more than that. 
34
Andrew3343 Mar 30, 2026 +30
As a Ukrainian, I’d like to note that Zelensky and his team have been warned by our prominent experts and volunteers for several years already to open up drone exports, or else the country will lose out on profits and expertise one way or another. There is huge demand for this tech worldwide and you can not contain leaks and even people with force, even with Ukraine’s current martial law. And it did really leak as everyone expected. Also the tech is the result of R&D of the private Ukrainian companies, I do not understand how he thinks “the state” should own the technology.
30
blauerlauch Mar 30, 2026 +9
You are absolutely correct, but in most countries any defense tech know-how and patent can be claimed by the government.
9
369_Clive Mar 29, 2026 +36
It's not really the drones though; they can be made anywhere - and are. The main volume producers before the Ukraine war was the Chinese. DJI made units etc. The real knowledge comes from adapting these and knowing combat tactics and techniques. No-one knows *these* better than the Ukrainians.
36
Tinna_Sell Mar 29, 2026 +23
Said companies sell unfinished, faulty drones. Those who want Ukrainian tech see lower prices, buy the stuff, then discover that what they bought came without a warhead, or has some other thing wrong about it. They called Ukraine and that's how the scheme was revealed. The companies in question took money from the government to expand production. This what looks like a state-subsidised scam affects the country's image on the market and future deals.  Hence, the government decided to speak out to warn potential customers and compell them to buy from original manufacturers. Despite this, I saw comments that Zelensky is displeased with these independent companies because he's a monopolist and wants to control production, which is a crazy accusation to make considering the fact that the country is at war, and its safety depends on this particular innovation.  The situation calls for tightened control. There have been previously moves against Fire Point by competitors that stalled research and development. Specifically, it was rumored that the anti-corrunption agency was bribed to conduct frequent audits that caused the production process to stop entirely. As a result, the company wasn't able to deliver promised products in time and had to pay a fine. Nothing was found eventually. I imagine the competition in the country is fierce. Not to mention how companies abroad (particularly, in Germany) are now starting to speak ill of Ukrainian manufacturers, sensing the threat to their sales. This is going to be very disruptive.  This doesn't even cover the problem of military espionage. Many companies want to sell the new technology, but if given the desired free reign, the risk of important info leaking out will be much higher.
23
AgreeableIncrease403 Mar 30, 2026 +2
The part “anti-corruption agency was bribed” is wild!
2
TheEmperorMk3 Mar 29, 2026 +18
Did I miss some international law being passed recently? You don't need to ask another country for permission to build drones??
18
PJAYC69 Mar 29, 2026 +3
Did you read the article ? He said that Ukrainian companies were building drones in other countries without the government knowing. He’s more complaining that the supply chain is sort of broken as these factories are turning out drones but many don’t have the explosives with them. Think he’s more wanting the whole process streamlined rather than free for all
3
Taz4100 Mar 30, 2026 +3
Its kinda hard to build them somewhere that is getting blown up and they are a prime target. Once your already building them in X county its easy for them to end up elsewhere.
3
brucebrowde Mar 30, 2026 +1
> Think he’s more wanting the whole process streamlined rather than free for all IOW, he wants a cut.
1
Silent-Worm Mar 30, 2026 +2
I know right? Everyone knows it is only the Chinese who can copy things. Westerners don't copy they invent. It is the west god given right after all. Lol I bet your ass there would be thousands of comments screaming about how China only knows to "copy" if they did this.
2
Mr_Hassel Mar 29, 2026 +10
Behind his back?
10
dm-me-obscure-colors Mar 30, 2026 +2
> In principle, right now we can produce up to 2,000 a day, but we only have funding for 1,000. In light of this quote, I’m thinking it has to be about Ukrainian companies profiting from the knowledge and reputation gained from the war without the permission of the Ukrainian government
2
Interesting-Dream863 Mar 30, 2026 +3
Why buy the know how when you can steal it? A story as old as time.
3
GirthyGeoduck Mar 29, 2026 +26
The Ukrainians have the worst possible neighbor on the planet, and the worst possible ally on the planet.
26
AftyOfTheUK Mar 30, 2026 +10
Why did they choose to work with the worst ally on the planet?  (Hint: it's because they are better than all the alternatives... Meaning they're by definition not the worst)
10
Brainchild110 Mar 30, 2026 +5
This stuff is not new. This stuff is not surprising. This stuff has been happening for hundreds of years, probably more. Ask how Silkworms left China. How the Japanese got aeroplane technology. How the Chinese build their own versions of Russian Migs.
5
Zontromm Mar 30, 2026 +5
So corrupt industrialists, from Europe's most corrupt country (except Russia), ignore their nation's laws to make money. How is this suprising to anyone?
5
[deleted] Mar 29, 2026 +16
[removed]
16
springmeds Mar 29, 2026 +24
This is not an interceptor drone, but amateur one. No payload, unknown range, no jamming resistance etc. Most important - not tested on the battlefield.
24
D0ntEatPaper Mar 29, 2026 +7
Yeah. Jamming resistance is huge. And small incremental upgrades to range/payload capacity add up over time
7
fmaz008 Mar 29, 2026 +2
Don't they use thin fiber optic cables for the "jamming resistance"?
2
balrog687 Mar 30, 2026 +2
Capitalism wins, everyone dies.
2
Young_Economist Mar 30, 2026 +2
Is this a comment made in context with the Papperger remarks?
2
postinthemachine Mar 30, 2026 +5
Ireland is a neutral country but we let americans land and refuel here so they can bomb other countries, and you can get arrested for protesting that fact.
5
sfigone Mar 29, 2026 +3
Ukraine should offer to train their operators in a real war zone.
3
Hreny2 Mar 29, 2026 +9
Im sorry I missed the worldwide law that says that only Ukraine can sanction building drone factories,...
9
ashriekfromspace Mar 29, 2026 +4
Must be sad seeing the world forget your war just because there's a new one
4
SilverAgedSentiel Mar 29, 2026 +3
Especially since the reasons for the hesitation given was because it would end in larger turmoil... Oh here's the US causing worldwide shocks to the economic order and creating new markets for Russia to sell oil to.
3
AccordingInsect3481 Mar 29, 2026 +3
Double production with a better product.
3
Cabbage-braise Mar 29, 2026 +4
Did he expect anything else?
4
vurto Mar 30, 2026 +1
So America or American companies are buying them?
1
Tr33Bl00d Mar 30, 2026 +1
Tale as old as time
1
SvnSqrD Mar 30, 2026 +1
Drones will be swarming on Taiwan now 😂😂
1
ogpterodactyl Mar 30, 2026 +1
Modern militaries need to be mass producing drone swarms.
1
IcyEqual115 Mar 30, 2026 +1
Considering how effectively drones have been for Russia, Ukraine and now Iran as well, it's not a surprise that other countries decided to join in on the fun. What does "behind Ukraine's back" even means? Should they've asked for permission before they started?
1
yolk3d Mar 30, 2026 +1
Title of article says **Zelenskyy says 10 Ukrainian interceptor drone factories have been built "behind the state's back"**
1
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