China has sent more than $12 million worth of drones to Russia since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, indicating quiet cooperation between the two countries.
Source. The New York Times reports.
Last month, the Biden administration promised to take tough action against companies that sell critical technologies to Russia. But the flow of Chinese drones to Russia confirms that this will be difficult.
According to official data from Russian customs, in the year since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, China has sold more than $12 million worth of drones and parts to the country.
These were mostly products from DJI, the world's most famous drone manufacturer, and many smaller companies, often supplied through small intermediaries and exporters.
The complex sales channels and vague product descriptions in the export data also make it difficult to determine whether Chinese products contain U.S. components, which could be a violation of U.S. export controls.
And these are just the official sales of drones. According to the publication, the flow of unofficial products through Russia-friendly countries such as Kazakhstan, Pakistan, and Belarus is much wider.
In total, almost 70 companies, mostly small intermediaries and exporters, have supplied drones of 26 brands to Russia, including Autel, which has divisions in the United States, Germany, and Italy.
A DJI spokesperson told the NYT that the company had no information on direct exports of drones to Russia after April 16, 2022, when it announced that it would cease deliveries and all operations in Russia and Ukraine. But DJI drones, like any consumer electronics, are sold in stores, and the company cannot track what happens to them after they are sold, it said in a statement.
DJI drones are one of the most popular models on the Russian-Ukrainian front. Experts estimate that about half of the drones used by the Ukrainian Armed Forces are Ukrainian-made, and most of the foreign ones are made by DJI, the NYT reports.