Russia gets thousands of Chinese drones for war in Ukraine - Bloomberg reveals details
Illustrative photo: Russia is massively receiving Chinese drones for the war against Ukraine (Getty Images)
Russia has been actively cooperating with Chinese companies to bypass Western sanctions and ensure the production of drones used against Ukraine, Bloomberg reports.
Documents reviewed by Bloomberg, including memos from the company, Aero-HIT, as well as correspondence with Russian government officials, confirm this activity.
Details
Aero-HIT, a company based near the airport in Khabarovsk, has launched large-scale drone production with state support.
This year alone, the company plans to produce up to 10,000 drones per month.
Some of these UAVs, particularly FPV drones called Veles, are actively used to attack Ukrainian positions in the Kherson region.
According to the US Department of the Treasury, Veles drones are being used by Russian forces to strike targets in Ukraine.
Sanctions against the company were imposed back in 2023, but Aero-HIT continues operating and expanding production.
Key to scaling up: China
The documents show that since early 2023, Aero-HIT engineers have been working with Chinese specialists from the company Autel to localize production of the Autel EVO Max 4T drone model.
This drone was originally designed for civilian use but proved effective in combat, particularly due to its resistance to electronic warfare systems.
Contacts between Aero-HIT and Autel were temporarily suspended due to sanctions but resumed at the end of 2024.
Since May 2025, the two sides have been negotiating the full localization of the Chinese drone's production in Russia.
The documents also state that the cost of one unit will be 650,000 rubles (8,360 dollars), with an annual production target of 30,000 drones.
Hiding supply chains
According to Bloomberg's investigation, Russia is using complex logistics routes and shell companies to deliver Chinese technology to the military.
Entities involved in these schemes formally operate in agriculture, seafood transportation, or aviation catering.
In June 2025, Aero-HIT appealed to Russia's Ministry of Defense for funding to scale production and further integrate the drones with Russian IT systems.
It remains unclear whether the Chinese government is aware of this project. Officials in Beijing insist they do not supply lethal weapons to either side and maintain export controls on dual-use goods.
At the same time, Bloomberg notes that despite such restrictions, some Chinese companies refused contracts with Russia, only to be replaced by new suppliers.
China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not respond to Bloomberg's request for a comment, and Autel Robotics denies any cooperation with Russian companies after 2022.
Nevertheless, the UK has already imposed sanctions on Autel over suspicions of supplying technologies that undermine Ukraine’s sovereignty.
China-Russia connection
Despite strong trade ties between Moscow and Beijing, China has repeatedly denied officially supplying weapons to any party.
However, since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, there has been growing evidence that China is helping Moscow circumvent Western sanctions.
In September 2024, the reports indicated that the West had obtained proof that Chinese companies were secretly supplying arms to Russia.
Earlier, Ukraine's Presidential Commissioner for Sanctions Policy, Vladyslav Vlasiuk, told Reuters that about 60% of foreign components found in Russian weapons on the battlefield in Ukraine originated from China.
This spring, President Zelenskyy stated that China is providing weapons to Russia.
