Chinese drone specialists have reportedly traveled to Russia several times since last year to work with state-owned arms maker IEMZ Kupol, a company already under Western sanctions. According to European security officials and reviewed documents, the experts supported the development and testing of military-use drones, while Kupol simultaneously received shipments of Chinese-made attack and surveillance drones through a sanctioned Russian intermediary.
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The collaboration gained attention after Kupol was found to have developed its Garpiya-3 drone in China with technical help from local experts. Officials now say Chinese engineers not only assisted in assembling drones inside Russia but also participated in flight tests at a military site in Chelyabinsk. This suggested a deepening partnership between Russian arms producers and Chinese companies, particularly in expanding production lines for new models of drones used in Ukraine.
Documents showed Kupol obtained one-way attack drones produced by Sichuan AEE, supplied through Russian defense procurement firm TSK Vektor, which is sanctioned by the US and EU. Reports described flight tests of A60, A100, and A200 models, with Chinese experts training Russian staff during visits to Kupol’s Izhevsk facilities. Additional invoices indicated that Sichuan AEE provided upgraded A200 drones equipped with anti-jamming systems worth over $700,000 in mid-2025.
Another Chinese company, Hunan Haotianyi, was also linked to Kupol through the testing of its HW52V drone in Russia last year. Flight records suggested its CEO, Liu Mingxing, traveled alongside TSK Vektor’s drone department head following an exhibition in Siberia. European officials assessed that Chinese engineers from the same company later worked at Kupol on adapting new engines and flight control computers for Russia’s Garpiya drone series.
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The documents described multiple extended visits by Chinese teams in 2024 and 2025, including one trip this year focused on a new drone model referred to as the GA-21. Analysts believe the GA-21 closely resembles Iran’s Shahed-107 and can be configured for either surveillance or strike missions. These developments highlight how China’s drone technology has become increasingly important to Russia’s war capabilities.
While Beijing has denied supplying lethal aid to any side in the Ukraine war, Western officials warn that Chinese companies are playing a growing role in Russia’s military supply chain. Experts argue that Chinese parts and expertise, particularly in aerial drone systems, are giving Moscow critical battlefield advantages despite sanctions aimed at curbing its weapons development.