- Category
- Latest news
China Launches Satellites for Sanctioned Firm Linked to Russia’s Wagner Group
- Authors
![Ivan_khomenko]( "Photo of Ivan Khomenko")
-21d0b63c17f6020e4df75f6c6f9a2f4f.jpg "Photo of Ivan Khomenko")
China has launched six satellites for Spacety, a company previously sanctioned by the US for supplying satellite imagery to the Wagner Group, a Russian paramilitary organization.
The launch took place on May 17 using the Zhuque-2E rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China.
According to SpaceNews, the satellites were deployed into a sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of approximately 500 kilometers. This marked the second flight of the upgraded Zhuque-2E rocket, developed by Chinese startup Landspace.
The rocket uses liquid methane and liquid oxygen as propellants, offering greater energy density compared to traditional kerosene fuels. Its first launch occurred in November 2024.
During this latest mission, the rocket carried six Tianyi-series satellites belonging to Spacety. These include a radar satellite (Tianyi-42) operating in the C-band, two optical remote sensing satellites (Tianyi-29 and 35), and three satellites intended for scientific experiments (Tianyi-34, 45, and 46).
Spacety’s links to Wagner
Spacety, officially known as Changsha Tianyi Space Science and Technology Research Institute, was sanctioned by the US Department of the Treasury in January 2023. The sanctions were based on findings that the company had provided radar satellite imagery to Terra Tech, a Russian firm reportedly connected to the Wagner Group.
According to the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), the imagery was used to support Wagner’s operations in Ukraine.
The company was included in a broader package of sanctions targeting Wagner, which the US had designated as a transnational criminal organization.
Chinese satellite sales to Russian entities
In addition to imagery provision, Chinese firms have also sold hardware to entities linked to Wagner. In October 2023, reports emerged that a company associated with Wagner had acquired two high-resolution reconnaissance satellites from China.
The agreement, signed on November 15, 2022, involved Beijing Yunze Technology Co and a Russian firm connected to Wagner’s founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin.
The contract, valued at over $30 million, included not only the two satellites—manufactured by China’s Chang Guang Satellite Technology (CGST)—but also support services.
Earlier, Russian leader Vladimir Putin announced that Chinese troops would form the largest foreign military contingent at the May 9 Victory Day parade in Moscow. The statement came during his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, who arrived in Russia as the main foreign guest for the 80th anniversary events commemorating the end of World War II.
