China secretly supplied 46 tons of drone-production materials to Russia
The Chinese state-owned Jilin Chemical Fiber Group shipped 46 tons of drone-related chemicals to Russia, disguising the cargo as civilian goods, according to shipping documents reviewed by Politico and The Telegraph.
Shipping records reviewed by Politico and The Telegraph reveal China secretly provided 46 tons of drone production components to Russia. The cargo, disguised as civilian goods, contained polyacrylonitrile, a polymer essential for manufacturing carbon fiber. This substance, listed under a civilian synthetic fiber export customs code, was destined for Alabuga-Volokno, a Rosatom subsidiary.
Since 2023, drones modeled after Iran's Shahed design have been assembled in Tatarstan's Alabuga special economic zone. According to David Albright of the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security, this shipment could contribute to the production of at least 1,300 drones. The documents, dated 2026, represent the first confirmed evidence of direct material supplies from China to Russia, aimed at bolstering their drone arsenal used in Ukraine's conflict.
The Ukrainian Security and Cooperation Center obtained and verified these documents, which have also been confirmed by the Ukrainian government and a U.S. House of Representatives committee on China. Both the U.K. Foreign Ministry and the U.S. State Department have not disputed the information. As U.S. President Donald Trump prepares to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on September 24, Ukraine may escalate pressure on President Biden to curb China's support for Russia's military endeavors.
Written by urgent.news from Meduza (English)'s reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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