Bloomberg: Lethal Russian Drones Pummeling Ukraine Were Built by China

One of Russia’s largest military drone factories was built with Chinese partners and relies on a steady supply of Chinese components, a July 8 Bloomberg investigation found.

Documents obtained by Bloomberg show:

• Russian firm Aero-hit is among the largest suppliers of deadly drones used by the military to terrorize Ukrainian civilians and troops.
• In 2023, the firm’s Khabarovsk facility started working with technicians from Chinese drone company Autel Robotics.
• Thanks to Chinese workers and components, Aero-hit is now producing some 10,000 drones per month.
• It can sell them to Russia’s military for as little as $1,000 per unit.

The Chinese Communist Party maintains that it is not supplying lethal aid to Russia to avoid being subject to Western sanctions banning such provisions. Autel Robotics has specifically denied any ties to Aero-hit. The new investigation shows that these Chinese claims and denials are blatant lies.

Disturbing pattern: China has also supplied Russia with satellite imagery for military use and large quantities of militarily useful semiconductors, ball bearings, trucks, excavators and machine tools for tanks.

China takes every effort, every chance it can get to argue that somehow it’s a neutral player in this war in Ukraine, but in reality the [People’s Republic of China] is providing a long list of dual-use components, things like machine tools and microelectronics, that are enabling Russia to pursue this war of aggression in Ukraine.
—Julianne Smith, United States ambassador to nato

In previous cases, China has avoided explicitly violating Western sanctions that outlaw providing Russia with lethal aid. But the new drone cooperation is a blatant violation of sanctions and may mark a new level of Chinese support.

If China is targeted by economic sanctions, it could be a serious blow to its already imperiled economy.

Asian axis: China’s willingness to aid Russia’s war in spite of major risks should not surprise us. Bible prophecy warns that Russia and China will become full military allies in the near future.

Learn more: Read our free booklet Russia and China in Prophecy.