Ukraine Imported Nearly 130,000 Civilian Drones in Three Months: Which Models Are Being Used on Front Lines?

In the first quarter of 2025, Ukraine imported nearly 130,000 civilian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

The State Customs Service of Ukraine reported on this.

The vast majority of these drones were imported from China.

In the first three months of this year, Ukraine imported 127.8 thousand civilian drones with a total value of $371.3 million.

In terms of value, this is $103 million (or 39%) more than the same period in 2024.

The press service added that 98% of all imported drones had been granted customs payment exemptions.

The report shows that China remains the largest supplier of civilian UAVs to Ukraine. According to the State Customs Service, in the first quarter of 2025, the import volume from this country was 125,700 units, which is 98% of the total number of imported drones.

Civilian Drones in the Ukrainian Defense Forces

In the Russian-Ukrainian war, drones have become an important part of combat operations. They are used for reconnaissance, artillery targeting, and destroying enemy personnel and equipment.

This applies to commercial civilian UAVs, whose main advantages are compactness, affordability, and ease of use. These drones have good optics, including night vision, and are well-suited for short-range reconnaissance and visual control of a specific section of the front line.

However, such drones also have drawbacks, such as limited flight range and autonomy, and the inability to effectively counter the enemy’s electronic warfare (EW) systems. This makes them costly tools on the front lines and not very durable.

In most cases, Ukrainian military personnel use drones from DJI and Autel in various modifications:

• DJI Mavic 3
• DJI Mavic 3 Pro
• DJI Mavic 3T
• DJI Matrice 300
• Autel Evo Max 4T

For carrying out tasks on the front line, such drones were previously purchased by individual volunteers, charitable organizations, and the military themselves at their own expense. Since last year, the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine has also joined in providing the military with these commercial drones.