There has been an uproar in Ukraine over a possible disruption to the supply of over 100,000 fiber-optic FPV drones that were supposed to be delivered to the military a month ago, according to investigative journalist Yuriy Nikolov.
According to him, one of the Ukrainian drone manufacturers failed to fulfill the contract within the specified time frame, despite receiving an advance payment. The journalist suggested that the delay could have been caused by a sharp increase in prices for fiber optics from China, which allegedly caused the manufacturer to be unable to fulfill its obligations under the old terms.
This is a significant amount — over 100,000 drones, which were supposed to cover the needs of the front for several months. In particular, a guideline of 30,000 units per month is mentioned — this is exactly how much is estimated to be needed to deter the enemy.
At the same time, the journalist admits that the situation does not have a complete public picture. According to him, some military units already have a backlog in supplies, but there are no official generalized data. The Defense Procurement Agency denies information about large-scale delays and emphasizes the absence of complaints from military units.
The manufacturer himself, according to Nikolov, considers the scandal an element of competitive struggle and information attack. In turn, the journalist emphasizes that the problem lies in the lack of open data that could become an arbiter in the dispute between the parties.
There has also been criticism of the procurement system, particularly regarding the functioning of the "dot chain" implemented by the Defense Procurement Agency leadership team. However, there is currently no official confirmation of structural failures in the system.
The situation remains a subject of public debate. Participants in the process express mutually opposing assessments - from claims of a significant backlog in supplies to assurances that contractual obligations are being fulfilled within the framework of agreements.
