Ukraine antitrust body rejects UAE company's drone maker bid

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Ukraine antitrust body rejects UAE company’s drone maker bid

April 9, 2026

KYIV,— Ukraine’s anti-monopoly committee has returned an application tied to a 760 million dollar plan to buy a stake in leading drone and missile producer Fire Point, the agency told Reuters on Wednesday.

In a written reply, the committee said it received the filing on December 30 but did not accept it for review because it failed to meet required criteria.

The agency confirmed that UAE based EDGE Group was the counterparty in the proposed deal, as earlier reported by Ukrainian media citing unnamed sources.

Fire Point did not respond to a request for comment. The company has not named the buyer. EDGE Group also did not respond to questions about the transaction.

Fire Point co founder Denys Shtilierman told Reuters last week that a plan to sell a 30 percent stake, valuing the firm at 2.5 billion dollars, was under review by the anti trust body, which had until about October to make a decision.

Created after Russia’s 2022 invasion, Fire Point has become a major player in Ukraine’s defense sector. It produces most of the long range drones used by Ukraine in strikes on Russia and also develops the Flamingo cruise missile.

The committee did not say which rules were not met or when the application was returned. It added no new filing had been received.

A spokesperson declined further comment in the written response and provided no additional details on the status of the case.

In separate news, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia are considering a Ukrainian-designed interceptor drone priced at around $2,500.

A Japanese company promoting the system overseas said the drone offers a lower-cost option to respond to Iranian attacks that have cut the flow of U.S.-made missiles.

(With files from Reuters)