Chinese Drones Come With Political Baggage But Ukraine Buys Thousands Anyway

The unmanned aerial vehicles are too valuable against Russian invaders for Ukrainians to be all that concerned about whether manufacturer DJI has close ties to the Chinese government.

Drones made by DJI, a $15 billion Chinese company, have become such an important part of Ukraine’s resistance to Russia’s unprovoked invasion that officials in the besieged country are setting aside concerns about the considerable political baggage that comes with them.

Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine’s deputy prime minister and chief of the Ministry of Digital Transformation, who has become something of a media star in the last month for his ingenuity and defiance in the face of overwhelming odds, posted photos on Monday of new DJI Mavic 3 unmanned aerial vehicles in what looks like the back of a van.

Federov said Ukraine had bought 2,372 quadcopters and 11 military unmanned aerial vehicles for $6.8 million. The money was donated by the Come Back Alive fund, which has been accepting donations for…