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China Reportedly Supplies Drone Components to Russia, Helping to Narrow Tech Gap With Ukraine
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Russia is reportedly narrowing the gap with Ukraine in drone production, bolstered by substantial financial resources, production facilities distant from the front lines, and significant assistance from China.
This information was shared by a senior Ukrainian official in an article published on June 5 by POLITICO.
Oleh Aleksandrov, spokesperson for Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service, explained that Chinese manufacturers are providing Russia with essential components, including hardware, electronics, navigation systems, optical and telemetry systems, engines, microcircuits, processor modules, antenna systems, and control boards.
To circumvent sanctions, Russia utilizes shell companies and changes company names to avoid export controls, Aleksandrov added.
“Yet officially, China sticks to all the rules. Yet only officially,” he said.
While Beijing has consistently denied supplying drones or weapons components to Russia, calling Ukrainian claims “baseless accusations and political manipulation,” Aleksandrov emphasized Russia’s increasing reliance on Chinese spare parts for both tactical and long-range drones.
This dependency is enabling Russia to close the technological gap with Ukraine, threatening to undermine the advantage Ukraine has relied on for drone warfare—an edge that has been crucial during times of ammunition shortages and delays in military aid.
On May 29, it was reported that China has sharply reduced shipments of Mavic drones and related components to Ukraine and Western nations, while expanding exports to Russia.
