Reuters: Chinese experts take part in test of combat drones in Russia

Experts from China also participated in the testing of military drones in Russia. This was reported by the agency Reuters, citing two European security interlocutors, as well as documents seen by journalists.

According to media reports, Chinese drone experts have flown to Russia to conduct technical development of military drones at a state-owned arms manufacturing facility under Western sanctions. We are talking about the Kupol plant. Chinese experts have visited this enterprise more than half a dozen times since the second quarter of last year.

According to documents and information obtained from two officials, during this time, Kupol also received batches of Chinese-made strike and reconnaissance drones through a Russian intermediary.

Last September, Reuters reported that Kupol had developed a new Harpy-3 drone in China with the help of local experts. Now the media outlet has published specific details of the active participation of Chinese specialists in testing and technological work on military drones in Russia.

The interlocutors said that the cooperation indicates the deepening of relations between Kupol and Chinese companies in the development of drones, which turned out to be crucial for Russia's war against Ukraine.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said it was not aware of this cooperation.

"China has always taken an objective and fair position on the Ukrainian crisis, never supplying lethal weapons to any party to the conflict and strictly controlling dual-use goods, including the export of drones," the Chinese Foreign Ministry said .

Kremlin, Russian Defense Ministry and Kupol did not respond to requests for comment.

Documents, including invoices and bank statements, show that last year Kupol received more than a dozen unilateral attack drones manufactured by the Chinese company Sichuan AEE. The drones were supplied by the Russian defense company TSK Vector, which is under US and European Union sanctions. "TSK Vector and Sichuan AEE did not respond to requests for comment .

The US and European governments have repeatedly expressed concern about Chinese companies supplying Russian arms manufacturers and have imposed sanctions on some of them.

In July, Reuters reported that Kupol was producing thousands of Harpy attack drones using Chinese parts, including engines. "The Harpies, modeled after Iran's Shahed drone, can fly hundreds of kilometers to pre-determined targets, then plummet and explode upon impact.

Two European officials said that the delivery of a small number of Chinese attack drones and the presence of Chinese specialists may indicate Kupol's interest in expanding production of new drone models.

A letter from Vector to Kupol, seen by Reuters, showed that in the second quarter of 2024, the purchasing company billed the arms manufacturer for more than half a dozen drones manufactured by the Chinese company.

AEE's corporate document detailing the delivery, which was seen by journalists, confirmed the delivery of A140 and A900 attack drones. It also lists more than half a dozen other drones – A60, A100, and A200 – to be provided.

Kupol reports seen by Reuters describe flight tests of A60, A100, and A200 drones at the Chebarkul military training ground in Russia's Chelyabinsk region in the last quarter of 2024.

The company's document says that a group of Chinese experts visited Kupol's facilities in Izhevsk to assemble drones and train staff to use them. The experts then visited Chebarkul. Flight reservations showed that the Chinese experts were scheduled to depart from Chelyabinsk the day after the test.

• On September 25, 2024, it was reported that the Russian company in China has developed a new attack drone for use in the war against Ukraine.
• On August 16, 2025, the GUR confirmed that China is promoting the production of Harpy-A1 attack drones in Russia.