A Chinese state-owned firm was found shipping 46 tons of drone-making material to Russia
A Chinese state firm allegedly shipped 46 tons of carbon-fiber material to a sanctioned Russian drone maker, disguised as civilian cargo.
In early 2026, Chinese state-owned enterprise Alabuga-Volokno, a subsidiary of Russia's Rosatom, shipped 46 tons of drone-making material to a Russian firm sanctioned by the United States. The shipment, disguised under a civilian customs code, was concealed from detection. Alabuga-Volokno, which manufactures 39 different carbon-fiber products including aviation, rocket engineering, drones, shipbuilding, and armor, is expected to supply 89% of its output to Russian defense firms by 2030.
According to weapons expert David Albright, the correct shipping code could have flagged the shipment as dual-use. Ukrainian officials have tracked at least eight similar shipments between the two companies since 2022, alleging that Beijing has become nearly the sole supplier of composite materials for Russia's weapons manufacturing.
The disclosure comes amid a scheduled meeting between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping, a summit both governments prefer to focus on trade rather than sanctions enforcement. Beijing denies any wrongdoing, stating that China strictly controls dual-use goods and has never armed either side of the conflict.
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