The use of drones by both sides has had a profound impact on the conflict in Ukraine. As a result of China’s restrictions on exports, there are concerns that supply could be affected.

Since large numbers have been lost in the fighting, new supplies are vital. Many of them are commercially manufactured in China.

However, there have been indications that the number of Chinese drones and parts available to Ukraine and Russia is declining.

The Royal United Services Institute (Rusi), a London-based think tank, estimates Ukraine loses about 10,000 drones every month.

Donated funds have been used by numerous volunteer groups to restock the Ukrainian army’s supplies.

Drones designed for military purposes, such as the Turkish Bayraktar drones used by Ukraine and the Iranian Shahed drones used by Russia, are in use alongside commercial drones.

On 1 September, the Chinese government imposed new restrictions. In addition to drones weighing more than 4kg, they also apply to drone-related equipment such as cameras and radio modules.

As a result, Chinese producers of such equipment are now required to apply for export licenses and provide end-user certificates, and the Beijing government has refused to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

As of now, Ukrainian volunteers and soldiers say the latest Chinese restrictions have had little impact on the availability of drones, especially DJI’s ubiquitous lightweight Mavic models.

Their concern is that the supply of parts has been affected, and that the situation may worsen.

Lyuba Shypovych, who heads Dignitas, one of the largest Ukrainian volunteer groups that supplies the military with drones, says the only change is that they are more actively buying stock from European warehouses. “How we will proceed in the future is unclear.”