Chinese engines are being secretly supplied to a Russian state-owned drone manufacturer through shell companies disguised as industrial refrigeration units to circumvent Western sanctions.
Points of attention
- China is covertly providing engines for Harpy drones to Russia through shell companies posing as refrigeration units, defying US and EU sanctions.
- The clandestine supply of Chinese engines enables the Russian manufacturer to boost production of Harpy drones, despite international sanctions restricting such transactions.
- Reports indicate that the Russian defense manufacturer, Izhevsk Electromechanical Plant 'Kupol', has significantly increased its drone production capacity with Chinese engine supplies.
China supplies drone engines to Russia under the guise of refrigerators
This was reported by Reuters, citing three European security officials, as well as contracts, invoices and customs declarations.
It is noted that these deliveries allowed the Russian arms manufacturer, the Izhevsk Electromechanical Plant "Kupol", to increase production of the Harpy-A1 attack drone, despite US and EU sanctions.
An internal factory document seen by the agency indicates that Kupol has signed a contract with the Russian Defense Ministry to produce over 6,000 Harpy drones in 2025, up from 2,000 in 2024. The document states that over 1,500 units had already been delivered by April.
According to Ukrainian military intelligence, this long-range drone is used to strike civilian and military targets deep inside Ukrainian territory. Russia uses about 500 of these UAVs every month.
According to invoices, internal factory correspondence and shipping documents obtained by Reuters, after the sanctions were imposed, a new Chinese company, Beijing Xichao International Technology and Trade, began supplying L550E engines to Kupola.
In a statement to Reuters, China's Foreign Ministry said that Beijing was unaware of the export of components for the Harpy drones, and that China exercises control over foreign trade in dual-use goods in accordance with national laws and international obligations.
China has always opposed unilateral sanctions that have no basis in international law and are not authorized by the UN Security Council.
According to three European sources, the Harpy is based on Iranian-made Shahed drones but uses Chinese technology. Ukrainian military intelligence said the Chinese-made drone components include the engine, control systems and navigation equipment.
