Media: Russia finds way around sanctions to produce cheaper jet-powered drones

Russia has acquired equipment that can produce turbines with 3D printers, potentially allowing it to manufacture jet-powered drones more cheaply while bypassing Western sanctions, according to media reports citing The Economist and a Ukrainian air defense source.

The equipment reportedly resembles machinery used in Rolls-Royce factories. The new technology has reduced the production cost of Russian jet-powered drones by at least half, to between $50,000 and $70,000 per unit, or roughly 43,000 to 60,000 euros. The price is expected to fall further.

The Ukrainian source said the West had underestimated the prospect of large-scale use of such drones. “Ukraine failed to prepare properly for this threat, but our partners are also to blame,” the source said.

Repeated Russian jet-drone attacks have also prompted Ukrainian authorities to review air-raid safety rules. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said after meeting Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi that Ukraine would introduce two alert levels: yellow when a drone attack threatens, and red when missiles or a mass attack are involved.

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Ukraine failed to prepare properly for this threat, but our partners are also to blame.