Drone engines to circumvent sanctions: how China helps Russia scale up strikes

Despite Western sanctions, Russia continues to receive components for combat drones from China — primarily engines, which are supplied disguised as refrigeration equipment.

This was reported by Reuters, citing three sources in European security structures, as well as contracts, customs documents and internal correspondence.

According to the investigation, the supplies allowed the Russian state-owned enterprise, the Izhevsk Electromechanical Plant “Kupol”, to significantly increase the production of Harpy-A1 strike drones, despite US and EU sanctions.

Reuters has obtained an internal document from the plant, which shows a contract with the Russian Defense Ministry for the production of more than 6,000 Harpy drones in 2025. For comparison, in 2024, only 2,000 such UAVs were planned to be produced. According to data as of April, more than 1,500 units have already been transferred to the military.

Ukrainian military intelligence reports that the Harpy drone is a modified version of the Iranian Shahed, adapted using Chinese technology. It includes engines, control systems and navigation made in China. These drones are actively used by Russia to strike civilian and military infrastructure in Ukraine. The Russian Federation launches about 500 such UAVs every month.

According to the documents, after the sanctions were imposed, a new Chinese company, Beijing Xichao International Technology and Trade, began supplying L550E engines to Russia through intermediary structures disguised as industrial refrigerator shipments.

China’s Foreign Ministry told Reuters that Beijing was not aware of the export of Harpy drone components, adding that China strictly abides by domestic laws and international regulations on dual-use goods.

“China has always opposed unilateral sanctions not approved by the UN Security Council,” the statement said.

Meanwhile, European analysts point out that through shadowy schemes for supplying military technology, Moscow is circumventing restrictions, while simultaneously threatening the security of the entire region.

Recall that despite the fierce pressure of sanctions, a small Russian company Aero-HIT, located far from the front, has developed an ambitious plan: to cooperate with Chinese companies to fill a critical need — the mass production of combat drones.

As reported, the drones with which Russia attacked Kyiv on the night of July 4 contained Chinese-made components.

By the way, the occupation administration of Crimea plans to involve Chinese business in the development of transport infrastructure on the peninsula. The corresponding decision was made by the head of the occupation administration of Crimea, Sergey Aksenov.

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