An interceptor drone P1-Sun before test flights, in an undisclosed location in Ukraine, on March 19, 2026 (AFP/Genya SAVILOV)
“There are hundreds, even thousands of messages”: since the start of the war in Iran, Ukrainian drone interceptor manufacturers say they are being inundated with requests from the Middle East and awaiting Kiev’s approval to export.
The Russian invasion in 2022 has plunged Ukraine into fire and bloodshed. It has also made the country one of the most advanced in the world in terms of military drones.
Ukraine now boasts hundreds of manufacturers producing millions of these devices and claims to have an army equipped with unprecedented experience.
The war in the Middle East has put the spotlight on a new branch of this industry, interceptors designed for airborne destruction of combat drones.
An interceptor drone P1-Sun during a test flight, in an undisclosed location in Ukraine, on March 19, 2026 (AFP/Genya SAVILOV)
Almost daily attacked by hundreds of Shahed drones, initially of Iranian design, then mass-produced by Moscow – Ukraine has developed a range of inexpensive and efficient defense systems, including interceptors.
– Export Prohibitions –
Representatives from these countries are knocking on every door in Kiev, according to Ukrainian manufacturers and officials.
The General Cherry group, a major private producer manufacturing anti-Shahed interceptors called “Bullet,” has received “hundreds, even thousands” of messages from “virtually all Middle Eastern countries attacked by Iran,” says its spokesperson Marko Kuchnir.
An image of members of the 18th brigade of the Ukrainian National Guard from Sloviansk preparing to launch a drone interceptor in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk, on January 22, 2026 (AFP/Tetiana DZHAFAROVA)
Government representatives, private companies, intermediaries… “The interest is enormous,” especially for interceptors, he adds.
However, military equipment exports have been generally prohibited in Ukraine since the start of the war, despite promises of future openness from the authorities.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has offered Kiev’s assistance to Gulf countries and the United States, hoping for their support in return against Russia.
If his American counterpart Donald Trump claimed not to need it, Kiev, on the other hand, has sent over 200 military experts to Middle Eastern countries to share their experience and showcase their capabilities.
Volodymyr Zelensky hopes to conclude long-term drone agreements with the relevant capitals, particularly to finance production in Ukraine, whose capabilities, according to estimates, are only half utilized due to lack of funds.
– “Ready to Help” –
Meanwhile, he criticizes countries seeking to buy Ukrainian drones bypassing the government and national manufacturers in search of “easy money.”
“Our companies are not poor, they earn a lot of money” by supplying drones to the Ukrainian army, he said threatening producers with “unpleasant measures.”
The manufacturers promise to comply. They also assure that supplies to the army will not be affected and that the risk of Russia using their technologies will not increase.
“We are ready to help” but only “once we have received government approval,” assures Ares, spokesperson for the major Ukrainian producer Skyfall.
The young man, hooded and identifying himself by his pseudonym in this sensitive industry targeted by Russian attacks, flies the P1-Sun interceptor in front of AFP journalists.
Deployed on the frontlines four months ago, the drone, whose name is a pun meaning “wee-wee” in Ukrainian, is considered one of the most effective against the Shahed.
– “Like Oil” –
Skyfall also presents it as the “cheapest interceptor in the world”: $1,000 (870 euros) per unit for the Ukrainian army.
The group can manufacture “up to 50,000 interceptors per month,” enough to export some, Ares assures.
Drones, “for us, are like oil,” recently enthused President Zelensky.
As the drones alone are not enough: it is the combat expertise and their integration within the armed forces that is Kiev’s major asset.
An image of an Iranian Shahed drone used by the Russians, flying over Kiev during a Russian attack on December 27, 2025 (AFP/Sergei SUPINSKY)
Will drone production become a goldmine for Kiev? Not necessarily, according to Ukrainian military expert Sergui Zgourets interviewed by AFP.
In his view, Gulf countries with much greater financial means than Kiev will eventually return to traditional air defense.
Some mention an ethical problem between the booming industry and soldiers on the frontlines.
“One becomes a millionaire, the other ends up dead or amputated. Yet, they seem to serve the same cause,” observes the commander of a Ukrainian drone unit.
