China is covertly supplying key components used in Russian drones that strike Ukrainian civilians, according to confidential reports reviewed by the Wall Street Journal. The reports indicate that China supplies engines and navigation systems for Russia’s long-range Shahed-type drones, components for FPV drones, and other parts.
WSJ says a series of non-public reports prepared for the US State Department and European governments reveals how Chinese companies support Russia’s drone production. The documents were written by the Kyiv-based Center for Defense Reforms, whose staff includes former members of Ukraine’s intelligence and Defense Ministry. These findings are based on customs data, corporate records, and classified military and intelligence sources.
FPV drone engines: from Chinese factories to sanctioned Russian drone hubs
One document focuses on FPV drones used by Russia near the front lines. It states that in 2024, Russia imported over 3.3 million motors from Shenzhen Kiosk Electronic Co. The company likely sourced these from other Chinese manufacturers. While such motors can be used in consumer items like scooters or pumps, the report says they were ultimately delivered to Rustakt LLC, a Moscow-based firm identified by Ukrainian intelligence as a drone producer.
Rustakt continued to operate despite being sanctioned by the European Union in December 2024. Between July 2023 and February 2025, the company imported nearly $294 million worth of Chinese goods—including more than $83 million in electric motors. The report concludes that “the scale and structure of the supplies” show Rustakt is both a manufacturer and a logistics hub for other Russian drone makers, WSJ says.
WP: China sent Ukraine just 72 miles of fiber-optic drone cable—but gave Russia 328,000 miles to power its FPVs
Chinese shipments to US-sanctioned Russian companies
Other Chinese companies exported critical components to additional Russian firms, including those sanctioned by the US. The reports indicate that China has become the “main external supplier” of engines and navigation systems for Russia’s long-range Shahed-type drones.
Between June and August 2024, more than 685,500 engine parts were shipped by a Chinese firm to Drake LLC, which is part of the Alabuga drone production network — a facility, focused on Shahed production. The Alabuga facility was built with Iranian support and has been sanctioned by Washington.
Morgan LLC, another Russian company involved in supplying components for the Alabuga facility, was also named in the reports. Though not under US sanctions, it received nearly $5 million in Chinese imports since 2024. This included 7,800 lithium-polymer batteries explicitly labeled in trade documents as for the “special military operation”—the Kremlin’s official term for its war in Ukraine.
