Chinese drone engines are being delivered to Russia under the guise of refrigerators

Chinese-made engines are being secretly shipped to a state-owned drone manufacturer in Russia. Deliveries are being made through front companies and the products are being labeled as "industrial cooling devices," Reuters reports.

According to the agency, which refers to its own sources and documentation, the sale of Russian engines in this way is carried out "to avoid detection due to Western sanctions."

It is noted that these deliveries allowed the Izhevsk Electromechanical Plant "Kupol" to increase production of "Harpy-A1" attack drones despite US and EU sanctions.

Internal documentation of IEMZ "Kupol" indicates that the manufacturer signed a contract with the Russian Ministry of Defense for the production of more than 6 thousand "Harpies" this year, compared to 2 thousand in 2024. The documents indicate that by April, more than 1.5 thousand drones had already been delivered.

In September 2024, Reuters reported that Kupol was producing Harpy drones using Chinese technology, including L550E engines from Xiamen Limbach Aviation Engine Co. A month after the publication, the European Union and the United States imposed sanctions on several companies involved in drone production, including Xiamen.

After that, a new Chinese company called Beijing Xichao International Technology and Trade began supplying the engines to the Russian "Kupol". However, the agency was unable to establish how Xichao obtained the engines from the manufacturer Xiamen Limbach.

Meanwhile, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted that it was unaware of the export of parts for Harpy drones and was monitoring the sale of dual-use goods abroad.

By the way, the GUR recently showed the "stuffing" of a new Russian drone for searching and reloading Ukrainian air defenses. The department claims that all components and units of the drone are of Chinese origin.