An investigative report has uncovered that a Chinese state-owned company secretly supplied essential materials and components to Russia for the production of hundreds of suicide drones. These shipments were sent to a company linked to Russia's state-owned enterprise, Rosatom.
Internal Russian documents, obtained by The Telegraph in a joint investigation with Politico, revealed that the Chinese company sent 46 tons of chemicals associated with carbon fiber production to Russia.
Elabuga-Fibers, a subsidiary of Rosatom, uses these materials to produce high-spec carbon fibers used in making long-range 'Geran' drones, modeled on the Iranian 'Shahed' drones.
The documents indicate that the shipment reached a Rosatom facility in the Alabuga Special Economic Zone in the Republic of Tatarstan, where Russia mass-produces drones utilized in its conflict with Ukraine.
Is China Aware?
Experts, including former intelligence officials and diplomats, suggest that the volume and military significance of these shipments raise questions about the awareness or possible facilitation by Chinese authorities in supplying them to Russia.
Shipping and customs documents showed the materials included Polyacrylonitrile (PAN), essential for producing lightweight and high-performance carbon fibers.
The documents claim that the shipment was categorized under civilian export codes such as nylon and polyester, rather than codes indicating dual-use materials suitable for both civilian and military applications.
David Albright, founder and president of the Institute for Science and International Security in Washington, stated this classification "suggests an attempt to obscure a more sensitive order," adding that the quantity could suffice to produce carbon fiber for up to 1,300 suicide drones.
Albright noted that Russia is now "entirely reliant on China" for specialized "PAN" fibers. The Ukrainian Center for Security and Cooperation has tracked at least eight procurements since 2022 for "PAN" materials to Elabuga-Fibers from China's Jilin Chemical Fiber Group.