Category: Latest news

Germany Seeks Evidence From Ukrainian Reporters in Probe of Supplier Linked to Shahed Drones

Jan 13, 2026 12:01

2 min read

Authors: Roman Kohanets
News Writer

A worker applies a coating to a large composite airframe panel in a production workshop. (Photo: illustration from Sahara Thunder leaked document)

German law enforcement has opened an investigation into whether a German supplier may have violated sanctions through exports that Ukrainian journalists linked to materials used in Russia’s Shahed-type attack drone production, according to Slidstvo.Info on January 12.

The outlet said its newsroom received an official request from Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) that it is executing at the request of German authorities, seeking investigative materials about Goettle Advanced Products GmbH & Co. KG and its alleged commercial ties to the Russian company Composite Products LLC.

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In early 2024, hackers breached the email servers of Sahara Thunder, a front company linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, gaining access to a trove of data on the production of Shahed-136 strike drones for Russia, including materials referencing the Alabuga facility.

A worker prepares and inspects a large composite mold used in drone production. (Photo: illustration from Sahara Thunder leaked document)

A composite drone airframe component sits in a production jig. (Photo: illustration from Sahara Thunder leaked document)

The German side, according to the outlet, has asked for any documents and information in your possession, including materials that indicate commercial ties between the German firm Goettle Advanced Products GmbH & Co. KG and Russia’s Composite Products LLC, as well as evidence linking the Russian company to Russia’s military-industrial complex, including the production of Shahed-type drones, for possible use in German investigations.

Category: War in Ukraine

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In a June 2024 investigation, Slidstvo.Info reported—citing customs data and leaked documents it linked to Alabuga’s Shahed-136/Geran-2 assembly—that Russian firms obtained epoxy resin from two German companies, R&G Faserverbundwerkstoffe and Goettle Advanced Products GmbH & Co. KG, with R&G’s 2023 supplies estimated at nearly 8,500 kilograms worth about $80,000.

The outlet said epoxy binders are composite materials widely used in aviation and other industries because of their strength and low weight, but may also be used in military manufacturing.

The German authorities, the outlet said, plan to use the received materials within their own investigation.

Earlier, it was reported that Shahed-type drones assembled at Russia’s Alabuga zone rely on Chinese-supplied components ranging from engines and navigation systems to materials like carbon fiber and batteries.

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