Chinese companies are helping russia produce drones for war

This is according to a Bloomberg investigation, which examined internal documents of the russian company Aero-HIT and correspondence with Russian authorities.

The company in question is the little-known Khabarovsk-based Aero-HIT, which began cooperating with Chinese firms in 2022 after russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine to set up large-scale production of drones capable of fighting on the front lines.

In 2025, the company announced its ability to manufacture up to 10,000 drones per month and plans to expand production of more advanced models.

Documents obtained by the agency show that since early 2023, Aero-HIT has been working with engineers from the Chinese company Autel to localise production of the Autel EVO Max 4T drone in russia.

The core of Aero-HIT's arsenal is the Veles FPV drone, based on the Chinese Autel EVO Max 4T drone, which was originally designed for civilian use. Thanks to its resistance to electronic warfare, it has proven effective on the battlefield.

The cost of one drone will be 650,000 roubles per unit, including VAT.

In June 2024, Aero-HIT was added to the US Treasury Department's sanctions list because its drones were used by russian troops in occupied Kherson.

To circumvent sanctions, russia actively uses front companies from other industries, including agribusiness, logistics and catering.

Although China officially claims that it does not supply weapons to either side of the war, documents indicate the involvement of engineers from the Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT), a Chinese university that works closely with the Chinese army and is under US sanctions.

In 2024, Vladimir Putin visited HIT during a visit to China. This was followed by increased cooperation between HIT, Khabarovsk Airport and Komax, the company that manages the airport and is owned by former KGB officer and russian senator from occupied Kherson, Konstantin Basyuk.

By the end of 2023, the plant in Khabarovsk was already producing 200-300 drones per month. In March 2024, the Russian Ministry of Defence planned to order 5,000 Veles FPV drones.

Source: Economic Pravda, Bloomberg