China secretly arms Russia with drone parts for war on Ukraine - The Telegraph
Photo: Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping (Getty Images)
China plays a key role in supplying Russia with drones for the war with Ukraine. This raises new questions about international sanctions, according to The Telegraph.
Russia terrorizes Ukraine with kamikaze drones day and night
The agency noted that Russia uses hundreds of kamikaze drones, which overload Ukraine’s air defense system and strike military and civilian objects. The number of such attacks has increased significantly this summer.
A few days ago, Moscow launched about 600 drones in one night — this is the second largest air attack since the invasion in February 2022.
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So far, there are no signs that the attacks will decrease. Ukrainian intelligence reports that Russia plans to build two million FPV drones by the end of the year, as well as 30,000 long-range and 30,000 decoy drones.
While Putin takes part in a military parade with Xi Jinping in China, it has become clear that it is Beijing that provides Moscow with components for combat drones.
China supplies parts for Russian combat drones
According to The Telegraph, Chinese companies supplied Russian firms, which are under sanctions, with parts and materials worth at least 55 million euros from 2023 to 2024. About a quarter of this sum — 12.5 million euros — went to enterprises that produce Iranian Shahed drones in the special economic zone in Alabuga.
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In goods exported from China — engines for aircraft, microchips, metal alloys, camera lenses, fiberglass, binders for fiberglass and carbon fibers — all necessary components for the production of drones. 97 Chinese suppliers were identified.
China officially declares neutrality, but supplies of components indicate close military cooperation with Russia. Ukrainian military find Chinese parts on downed Russian drones. One of the Ukrainian pilots noted: "We’ve got boards and chips all the time that come from China – very clearly from China."
Support of China and economic interests
China avoids direct participation in the war so as not to risk its strategic interests. Instead, Beijing supports Moscow through the export of dual-use goods and a record bilateral trade turnover of 240 billion euros in 2024.
According to experts, stable relations with Russia are vital for China’s economy, given the common border of 4.1 thousand kilometers.
The Chinese position allows it to accuse the West of escalating the conflict, declaring that Beijing does not provide Russia with military support. According to analysts, this is a kind of cover and a possibility to deny direct involvement.
Production of drones and the role of China
At the beginning of July, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of China, Wang Yi, warned Europeans that China cannot allow Russia to lose the war, since this would allow the USA to focus on China. The next day, the Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiha showed on social networks details with Chinese markings taken from the Russian drone Geran-2.
Chinese companies supply a wide range of materials — from fiberglass and carbon fiber to engines and components for aircraft — to Russian plants in Alabuga, which produce drones Geran, Garpiya, and Gerbera, based on Iranian drawings. For the first half of 2024, production of Garpiya drones exceeded 2,000 units, which is more than the annual volume of previous years.
War and further cooperation
Drones allow Russia to overcome Ukrainian air defense and strike critical infrastructure, increasing psychological pressure on the population. Analysts believe that the real volumes of Chinese supplies to Russia are higher than official data, and Beijing has repeatedly tried to bypass sanctions by disguising supplies.
Experts note that components and spare parts reach Russia through third countries despite bans. The flow of these parts is not sufficiently stopped.
Since the beginning of the war, China has continued to avoid condemning Russia. Before the start of the invasion, Putin was received in Beijing at the Olympics. In March 2022, China abstained during the vote on the UN resolution, which condemns aggression. In 2024, Beijing allegedly allowed Russia to create on its territory the production of long-range drones.
As stated by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Germany, Johann Wadephul, without the help of China, the aggressive war against Ukraine would be impossible.
According to a survey of the Razumkov Center, most Ukrainians consider China a hostile country. Ukrainians have a worse attitude only to Russia and its allies — Iran, Belarus and the DPRK.
