After disassembling Russian drones, Ukraine was stunned by the components inside—apparently, China remains impartial!
The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense's Intelligence Directorate commissioned its subordinate Military Intelligence Science Institute (SRI) to conduct a disassembly and analysis of remnants from Russian "Geranium-2" suicide drones. According to Ukrainian media and open-source intelligence, the research revealed that electronic components originating from China accounted for 60% to 65% of the disassembled parts—surpassing U.S.-made components for the first time and ranking first.
Currently, U.S.-made components rank second, followed by Swiss-made ones in third place. This shift has occurred remarkably quickly—just a few years ago, Chinese components in Russian drones made up only about one-third. The "Geranium-2" is the Russian-produced version of Iran’s "Shahed-136" drone. At the beginning of the conflict, the components used in these Russian drones were highly diverse: some came from Iran, others were acquired through gray-market channels, including Western civilian parts; at one point, Western products even comprised as much as 70% of critical components.
Western sanctions targeted Russia’s defense industry aggressively, leading Ukraine to initially feel confident. But after examining several drone wreckage samples, the situation began to look different—the labels on components inside the cockpit increasingly bore Chinese origins, while American-made parts became noticeably fewer.
The remaining components came from Malaysia, Turkey, the UAE, and other countries. Moreover, Ukraine’s Security Service discovered Chinese electronic components with production dates as recent as just one month old in the debris of drones shot down near Kyiv.
China has strict export control regulations, requiring approval and verification of end-use for dual-use items (items usable both commercially and militarily). So how did these components get into Russia?
Intermediaries played a major role. Ukrainian investigations found that at least 160 Russian companies not listed on sanction lists acted as intermediaries, purchasing civilian components on international markets. The route was circuitous: components were bought directly from Chinese manufacturers, then transshipped via Hong Kong, the UAE, Kazakhstan, and similar hubs. During customs declaration, they were labeled as “agricultural equipment accessories,” before being transported into Russia via civilian rail lines. Once inside Russia, these parts were sent to factories in special economic zones like Alabuga for assembly into the “Geranium” series of drones.
Most crucially, it's not just Russia buying these parts—Ukraine is also purchasing them. With Chinese components making up 60% of Russian drones, their share in Ukrainian drones could be even higher, possibly reaching 70%. In other words, China treats Russia and Ukraine equally: as long as you have sufficient funds, China shows no bias.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1865516782712896/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.