The not-so-secret vulnerability in Ukraine's drone arsenal? Chinese technology

KYIV, Ukraine -- Since Russia invaded more than four years ago, Ukraine has become a global leader in military drone innovation, enabling its forces to grind a much larger enemy to a stalemate.But this technological force multiplier has come with an unsettling vulnerability: Ukrainian drone makers are highly dependent on electronics made by China, a key Russian ally.Ukraine’s greatest fear is that the Chinese government could severely restrict its access to these critical parts. It also worries that Russian defense companies that need these same supplies could be given preferential treatment by Chinese factories.Over the past two years, Ukraine has sought to break its dependence on China by expanding domestic manufacturing and importing more supplies from Taiwan, Europe and the U.S. That has minimized its need for Chinese-made electric motors, flight controllers and other parts.Yet Ukraine cannot entirely break free from China, whose lower costs and vastly greater production capacity cannot be matched by allied suppliers.“If China stops their production to us ... we are blinded,” said Andrii Taganskyi, an executive at Odd Systems, a Ukrainian weapons manufacturer that develops came...