Russia has faced a deficit of commercial unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) since the beginning of the war in Ukraine; drone prices have increased by over 30%, for some categories they have gone up threefold, reports Russian newspaper Kommersant, citing various market participants.
According to the director of the Centre for analysis of strategies and technologies Ruslan Pukhov, the drone deficit is due partly to the Russian activists’ private initiatives of purchasing supplies for the self-proclaimed Luhansk and Donetsk “people’s republics”. This was previously reported by The New York Times: the activists, which were mentioned by the NYT, buy food, medical products, night vision equipment, and drones in accordance with the front line’s needs.
Drones are sent there together with the other items, says Pukhov. Commercial drones “are more accessible than the ones produced by the military-industrial complex factories, they can be mass purchased,” adds the expert.
One of the people Kommersant talked to that works in a big marketplace (the newspaper doesn’t name it) said that the deficit could be connected with the decision of the Chinese company DJI to stop drone deliveries to Russia: “Judging by the situation on the market, the demand increased, and customers bought out everything they could.”
“A drone that previously cost 1 million rubles (€16,600) is now being sold for more than 3 million (€50,000),” stated the CEO of developer for droneports Hive, Nikolay Ryashin.
DJI, which takes up 90% of the “consumer” drone market, announced that it’s suspending drone sales in Russia and Ukraine in April. The company was founded in 2006, its head-quarters is located in Shenzhen. DJI produces multi-copters, micro-controllers, and video equipment.
