China supplied Ukraine with batteries worth $1.6 billion, imports tripled

In the first six months of 2026, imports of batteries and their separators to Ukraine increased by 3.3 times compared to the same period last year, reaching $1.8 billion. China has become by far the largest supplier, accounting for almost 90% of the total volume.

The data shows a change in Ukraine's energy strategy, where it is switching from fossil-fuel-based generators to modern battery solutions. While battery imports have grown exponentially, imports of power generators and inverters have fallen by 34.4% at the same time, to $499.6 million.

China dominates the battery market

From January to June of this year, according to Interfax-Ukraine, vital energy storage devices were imported to Ukraine mainly from China, whose supplies amounted to $1.62 billion. Other important suppliers included the Czech Republic with $44.5 million and Poland with $19.8 million. In June alone, battery imports doubled year-on-year to $335.6 million.

At the same time, generator imports fell, with the largest imports coming from China (22.4%), the Czech Republic (19.3%), and Turkey (14.6%).

Tax incentives are the reason

The acceleration in trade is due to the broad tax and customs incentives introduced by the Ukrainian government in July 2024, which exempted electricity generators and battery storage devices from domestic customs duties and VAT.

This policy had a significant impact already in 2025, when generator imports increased 2.3 times compared to 2024 to $1.69 billion, and battery imports by 55%, reaching $1.48 billion.

In the first six months of the year, Ukrainian companies exported batteries worth $21.3 million, mainly to Poland, France, and Germany.