Reuters: Secret shipments from China boost Russian drone production

China is supplying Russia with drone engines disguised as “industrial refrigeration units.”

Sources cited by Reuters report that Chinese engines are secretly delivered through front companies to a state-owned Russian drone manufacturer, labelled as “industrial refrigeration units” to avoid detection amid Western sanctions.

These shipments have enabled the Russian weapons factory “Kupol” to increase production of the Garpiya-A1 strike drones despite US and EU sanctions imposed in October aimed at disrupting the supply chain.

An internal Kupol document obtained by Reuters reveals a contract signed with the Russian Ministry of Defence to produce more than 6,000 Harpy drones this year, compared to 2,000 in 2024.

The document states that by April, over 1,500 drones had already been delivered.

By Vugar Khalilov