China Smuggles Drone Parts From Western Militaries to Russia, Says Estonia

About 80 percent of Russia’s Western drone parts were smuggled via China, according to Estonian intelligence.

The explosion of a drone in the sky over the city during a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, on Feb. 5, 2025. Gleb Garanich/Reuters

The Chinese regime is helping Russia in its war against Ukraine by allowing China’s private sector to smuggle Western drone parts to Russia, the Estonian Foreign Intelligence Service said on Feb. 12.

In a report, the agency said that Russia’s drone production remains dependent on Western parts and that 80 percent of sanctioned Western drone components obtained by Russia’s military-industrial complex had gone through China.