MOSCOW, April 29 The production of drones in Ukraine largely depends on the availability of commercially available Chinese components, the Wall Street Journal writes.
The newspaper recalls that in the early days of the conflict with Russia, Ukraine adapted commercially available Chinese Mugin-5 drones. It is noted that gradually these and other drones began to be replaced by Ukrainian ones. 
“However, their production (of drones in Ukraine – ed.) is largely dependent on commercially available Chinese components,” the newspaper states.
As one long-range drone manufacturer told the Wall Street Journal, production costs range from $30,000 to $300,000. According to the publication, the amount at the upper end of the price range is still significantly less than the cost of cruise missiles provided by the West. “Cheaper and more accessible than cruise missiles, drones… allow Kyiv to circumvent political restrictions on using weapons supplied by Western allies to attack Russian territory,” the Wall Street Journal said.
According to the publication, to meet this demand, manufacturing startups have appeared in Ukraine, offering products from the UJ-25 Skyline kamikaze attack jet drone to an unnamed UAV model with a fuselage “made from a piece of water pipe.” An unnamed Ukrainian military intelligence officer involved in the launch of long-range drones told the publication that only about 20% of the drones reach their target, largely “due to Russian interference.” 
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At the end of April 2023, the Ukrainian Armed Forces attacked the city of Rovenki, Belgorod Region, using seven Mugin-5 Pro attack unmanned aerial vehicles, of which five were shot down and two detonated on the territory of an oil depot.
Russia believes that arms supplies to Ukraine interfere with the settlement, directly involve NATO countries in the conflict and are “playing with fire.” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov noted that any cargo that contains weapons for Ukraine will become a legitimate target for Russia. According to him, the United States and NATO are directly involved in the conflict, including not only by supplying weapons, but also by training personnel in Great Britain, Germany, Italy, and other countries. The Kremlin stated that pumping Ukraine up with weapons from the West does not contribute to negotiations and will have a negative effect.
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