Chinese companies directly supplied parts and materials worth at least £47 million to Russian firms sanctioned for drone production. The deliveries took place between 2023 and 2024, as Moscow built a massive logistics infrastructure for its domestic drone program.
This is stated in an investigation by The Telegraph.
According to journalists, almost a quarter of the value of these supplies — £10.7 million — went to sanctioned Russian firms linked to the production of Iranian “Shahed” kamikaze drones and operating in the Alabuga special economic zone. This information was obtained by the publication after analyzing global trade data compiled by Sayari, a risk and data analysis company.
Among the goods that China exported to Russia were aircraft engines, microchips, metal alloys, camera lenses, fiberglass, emulsion binders for fiberglass, and carbon fiber filaments—all key components for drone production.
In total, The Telegraph identified 97 Chinese suppliers.
For example, Chinese firms Changzhou Utek Composite, Taishan Fiberglass, Jilin Hongsheng Trading, Yongji Rongdu Commercial and Trading, and Hebei Jigao supplied a range of fiberglass and carbon fiber products, such as yarn, binders, processing components, and fiberglass powder, all of which were shipped directly to Russian firms operating in Alabuz and engaged in the production of drones.
Harbin Bin-Au Technology, Jinhua Hairun Power Technology and Shandong Xinyilu International Trade also supplied aircraft engines and components worth at least £860 000 to “Drake” LLC, which operates in Alabuz.
In just three months of 2023, the Chinese company Ningbo Peak Cloud Import and Export shipped £3 million worth of aircraft and aircraft engines to Russiaʼs Ural Civil Aviation Plant, which is under sanctions for producing combat drones, including the Forpost.
Among the largest suppliers is Suzhou ECOD, which is under sanctions by Ukraine. It has shipped products worth £1.2 million to Russia since the start of deliveries in August 2024.
The Telegraph also identified five sanctioned Russian firms responsible for importing drone components from China: Ural Civil Aviation, Akmetron, PT Electronic, PT Elektronik, and Radioline.
Chinaʼs participation in the war against Ukraine
Since the beginning of Russiaʼs full-scale invasion, China has never supported Ukraine. Beijing has supported Russia and condemned the sanctions imposed by the West against it due to its armed aggression.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky reported on April 8, 2025, that two Chinese citizens who fought in the Russian army were captured in the Donetsk region.
The Office of the President noted that Ukrainian defenders engaged in combat with six Chinese servicemen near the settlements of Tarasivka and Bilohorivka in the Donetsk region. This was the first publicly known case of the participation of Chinese servicemen in the war against Ukraine on the side of the Russian Federation.
Then Zelensky emphasized that Ukrainian special services have information that the Russian army includes at least 155 Chinese citizens. Ukrainian intelligence has their documents.
On April 17, Zelensky said that the Russian army receives gunpowder and artillery from China. In China, these words were called “baseless”. And in June, The Economist wrote that China could transfer lethal weapons to Russia, including ammunition.
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