Taiwan Becomes Third-Largest Supplier of Batteries for Ukrainian Drones

In 2025, Taiwan became the third-largest supplier of battery cells for Ukrainian UAV’s, trailing only China and Vietnam.

This is stated in a report by Taiwanese Research Institute for Democracy, Society, and Emerging Technology, according to Radio Taiwan International.

By comparison, back in 2019, the island state ranked only 24th in the import category covering batteries.

According to the study, manufacturers in Taiwan continuously supply at least 5-7 million drone battery cells to Ukraine every month.

In the first quarter of 2026 alone, Taiwan exported batteries to Ukraine worth a total of approximately $11.85 million.

Meanwhile, the report’s authors note that Taiwanese manufacturers remain highly dependent on Chinese raw materials. In particular, this applies to supplies of precursors, graphite, and cathode materials. Despite this, the industry has managed to partially reduce its dependence on China. The share of Chinese battery cells has declined from approximately 70% in 2024 to 50% in 2025.

Since it is difficult and expensive to transport finished battery packs by air or sea due to strict safety regulations (hazardous cargo), individual cells are imported instead. At the manufacturing facilities, these cells are tested, soldered into the required configurations for specific drone models, and equipped with control boards.