The People’s Republic of China (PRC) has become Russia’s main foreign supplier of drones, providing engines, navigation components, and technical support, and a Chinese state-owned company now also ships the precursor used to make the drones’ carbon fiber.
Russia’s state corporation, Rosatom, opened a plant in 2021 to end Russia’s reliance on Chinese precursors. Imports kept surging, however, and a new line approved in 2026 again pursues import substitution.
Russia pays the PRC a rising premium for goods it cannot produce at scale. At the same time, Ukraine’s expanding long-range strikes threaten critical industrial sites, whose loss would deepen Russia’s dependence on Chinese components.
by The Jamestown Foundation Russia’s Drone Surge Depends on Chinese Supplies
