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Chinese State Firm Secretly Sent Russia 46 Tons of Carbon-Fiber Materials for Strike Drones
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A Chinese state-owned company supplied Russia with materials needed to manufacture hundreds of strike drones, according to internal Russian shipping records obtained by POLITICO on September 4.
The documents, which have also been reviewed by Western governments, offer evidence to date that a Chinese state-controlled company has continued supplying a sanctioned enterprise linked to Russia’s military-industrial complex.
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Shipping and customs records show that earlier this year, the Chinese company sent 46 metric tons of carbon-fiber-related chemicals to a subsidiary of Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom. According to POLITICO, the shipment was declared under a customs classification typically used for materials such as nylon and polyester.
The Rosatom subsidiary develops critical components for strike drones used by Russia in attacks against Ukraine, including a strike on a shopping mall in central Ukraine in August that killed at least 16 people.
Chinese-made components have previously been found in Russian drones recovered after attacks on Ukraine. However, the newly obtained records reportedly provide the first detailed evidence of a Chinese state-owned company directly exporting essential drone-production materials to Russia.
The Ukrainian Security and Cooperation Centre (USCC), a Kyiv-based think tank, uncovered the documents through Russian sources and subsequently shared them with the governments of the United Kingdom and the United States.
David Albright, founder and president of the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security, said the records could provide grounds for the US State Department to sanction the Chinese supplier, as they document shipments to the Rosatom subsidiary after it had been sanctioned by several Western countries.
“Rosatom and its enterprises operate in full compliance with applicable laws and regulatory requirements,” said a spokesperson for the Russian state firm. “Any claim to the contrary is false and demonstrates a lack of understanding of how Russia’s customs authorities operate.”
The reported shipments come amid growing scrutiny of Chinese companies accused of supporting Russia’s war effort. The European Union’s diplomatic service has been seeking sanctions against four Chinese companies over their alleged involvement in supporting Russia’s war against Ukraine.
The companies were expected to be included in the EU’s next sanctions package. Officials said their alleged activities included supporting Russia’s shadow fleet, supplying chemicals used by the Russian military, and providing components for the production of attack drones.
The proposed measures were outlined in a May 21 document and formed part of a smaller sanctions package that two EU officials said was expected to be approved by foreign ministers at a meeting in Luxembourg on June 15.
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-79fa4b5d2891f41c7a7ddfb9cff9642c.jpg "Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang and Russian leader Vladimir Putin shake hands during a meeting on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok on September 2, 2026. (Source: Getty Images)")
-c439b7bd9030ecf9d5a4287dc361ba31.jpg "Photo of Katherina Popilnichenko")