A new report has claimed that China could potentially access 80 to 90 percent of surveillance cameras operating in Ukraine, including cameras mounted on reconnaissance drones, creating a serious security risk during wartime and increasing the chances of drone interception.
According to Ukrainian media outlet dev.ua, there have already been incidents where Russian forces intercepted control of Ukrainian drones. The report raised concerns that connected surveillance systems and foreign-made equipment could become weak points in national security.
The report cited Oleksandr Kardakov, founder of Octava Capital, who said Chinese tech giant Hikvision had installed around 7,000 cameras in the Kyiv Smart City project by 2020.
These smart cameras are used for recognising vehicle licence plates, identifying faces, and monitoring safety in schools and kindergartens across Kyiv.
The report warned that if China had any hidden access or “backdoor” into those systems, it could potentially monitor streets and public areas in the capital and beyond. It added that Hikvision remains one of the most widely used video surveillance systems in Ukraine.
In the United States, both Hikvision and Dahua Technology appear on the Federal Communications Commission list of companies considered an unacceptable national security risk. The report also said sensitive facilities in the United Kingdom are restricted from using surveillance systems linked to Chinese intelligence laws.
Concerns reportedly go beyond cameras. Chinese-made batteries used in telecom base stations were said to have remote control capabilities, while many smartphones used in local networks are also made in China.
The report added that power backup brands such as EcoFlow, Bluetti, and Deye have become popular in Ukraine during the energy crisis by helping households maintain electricity supplies.
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It also noted that apart from China, the only country with greater technological influence in Ukraine is the United States, through payment systems like Visa and Mastercard, cloud platforms such as Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google, as well as AI companies including OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google Gemini.
