The strike on the Saransk plant increased Russia’s dependence on China

Russia’s only fiber optic plant stopped operating after the Ukrainian military strikes. Since then, the aggressor country has completely switched to supplies from China, which has raised prices 2.5-4 times.

This is reported by Russian media.

The Fiber Optic Systems plant in Saransk has not resumed production since May 2025. Before the attacks, the plant produced about 4 million kilometers of fiber optic cable per year. The raw materials were used by more than 20 Russian cable companies to manufacture fiber optic cables.

Russia now imports 100% of its optical fiber from China. If at the beginning of 2025 a kilometer of G.652D fiber cost 16 yuan, then at the end of the year the price increased to 25 yuan, and in January 2026 it reached 40 yuan.

Demand for fiber optics has skyrocketed due to its use in drones. In 2025, Russia consumed more than 10% of global fiber production, up from less than 1%. In total, the country purchased almost 60 million kilometers of fiber per year.

Experts attribute the price increase to a global shortage due to the development of infrastructure for artificial intelligence. Suppliers have already switched to full prepayment, which may cause a new increase in prices for finished products.

It was previously reported that China is an informal ally of Russia in the war against Ukraine, providing it with diplomatic and economic support. At the same time, Beijing has no vested interests in the outcome of the war, but is interested in its continuation.

Recall that Russia has tripled the production of ballistic missiles for the Iskander-M operational-tactical complexes thanks to the supply of components from China . This allowed Moscow to resume and scale up military production despite Western sanctions.