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Russia Uses Thailand as Massive Backdoor to Smuggle Chinese Drones, Bloomberg Reports
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![Photo of Ivan Khomenko]( "Photo of Ivan Khomenko")
Russia sharply increased its imports of unmanned aerial vehicles from Thailand in 2025, with the shipments largely consisting of Chinese-made drones routed through Thai intermediaries, Bloomberg reported on February 19.
Customs records reviewed by the outlet show that from January to November 2025 Russia imported $125 million worth of drones from Thailand, accounting for 88% of Thailand’s total UAV exports during that period. In 2022, Thailand imported less than $1 million worth of drones, and none were shipped onward to Russia.
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The increase in exports to Russia coincided with a surge in Chinese drone deliveries to Thailand. Over the same 11-month period in 2025, China exported $186 million worth of drones to Thailand. The trade data indicates that Bangkok sourced the vast majority of its UAV imports from China before re-exporting them.
The investigation identified Bangkok-based Skyhub Technologies Ltd. as one of the key intermediaries in the supply chain. Registered as a car rental service and previously active in geology services, the company became the second-largest Thai importer of Chinese drones.
Data from the trade analytics platform Big Trade Data shows Skyhub imported $25 million worth of drones in 2025, primarily from Autel Robotics.
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Autel Robotics stated that its products are intended for civilian use and are equipped with a “geofencing system” designed to prevent flights in combat zones in Ukraine.
Another Bangkok-based firm, China Thai Corp., imported $144 million worth of drones from China during the first 11 months of 2025. The company was placed under UK sanctions in October for supplying military-related technology to Russia.
Russia’s drone purchases from Thailand in 2025 were eight times higher than in 2024, according to Bloomberg. Trade records cited by Bloomberg indicate that China Thai Corp.’s cooperation with Russian entities dates back at least to 2023, when it exported a shipment of iPhones valued at $2 million to Russian electronics manufacturer Atlas, which was later sanctioned by the European Union in 2024.
Financial filings show that China Thai Corp.’s annual revenue rose sharply in recent years, increasing from 14,000 baht annually between 2020 and 2022 (approximately $400) to 17.8 million baht in 2023 (around $500,000) and 25.3 million baht in 2024 (roughly $710,000).
Thailand’s Director-General of the Customs Department, Phanthong Loykulnanta, said exports of Chinese drones from Thailand were conducted in accordance with domestic law. He added that the Thai Ministry of Commerce is “studying this issue” and may tighten export controls.
Earlier, the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project reported that Russia’s Geran-2 drones are built almost entirely from foreign-made components, including microchips and electronic modules from the US, China, and Europe.
The investigation identified hundreds of parts, with only a few dozen of Russian origin, and found at least 672 shipments of sanctioned European components delivered to Russia between January 2024 and March 2025 via intermediaries.
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