Camilla Jessen
Russia uses front companies and false customs labels.
Using front companies and false customs labels, Russia is receiving Chinese drone engines hidden as “industrial refrigeration units,” enabling mass production of strike drones for the war in Ukraine.
Disguised as Fridges, Bound for War
Russia has been importing Chinese drone engines disguised as refrigeration equipment to fuel its drone production.
This was reported by Reuters, which cites three European intelligence sources and a trove of transport documents and internal contracts reviewed as of July 23.
Dodging Sanctions and Export Controls
The components are being funneled to the sanctioned Russian defense company Kupol, manufacturer of the Garpiya-A1 long-range strike drone.
To avoid Chinese export controls, suppliers are labeling the L550E engines—produced by Xiamen Limbach Aviation Engine Co.—as “industrial refrigeration units.”
500 Drones a Month
Ukraine’s military intelligence reports that Russia now uses approximately 500 Garpiya-A1 drones per month to strike military and civilian targets deep inside Ukrainian territory.
These drones, built using Chinese technology, have rapidly become a key part of Russia’s offensive arsenal.
A leaked internal document from Kupol shows the company signed a deal with the Russian Ministry of Defense to manufacture more than 6,000 Garpiya-A1 drones by the end of 2025—three times the 2,000 reportedly produced last year.
By April 2025, more than 1,500 had already been delivered.
Route: Beijing to Izhevsk, Via Moscow
The covert supply chain runs from Beijing to Moscow, with the engines then transported to Izhevsk in Russia’s Udmurt Republic, home to Kupol’s manufacturing facilities.
Air freight records show that since October 2024, both Sichuan Airlines and China Southern Airlines—the largest airline in China—have regularly delivered the mislabeled cargo to sanctioned Russian entities.
By passing them off as cooling equipment, the shipments dodge export controls, sidestepping both Chinese oversight and international scrutiny.
New Front Companies Fill the Gap
After the EU and U.S. imposed sanctions in late 2024 on companies involved in drone manufacturing—including Xiamen Limbach—a new supplier emerged: Beijing Xichao International Technology and Trade.
Invoices and internal correspondence reviewed by Reuters reveal that Xichao replaced Xiamen as Kupol’s key supplier for the L550E engines.
It is still unclear how Xichao continues to acquire the engines from Xiamen, which has not responded to requests for comment.
Xichao could not be reached for a statement.
U.S. Warns China of Consequences
This latest revelation adds fuel to ongoing U.S. warnings directed at China over its indirect support for Russia’s war effort.
U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker recently reiterated that continued assistance—economic or military—to Moscow could prompt the Trump administration to impose secondary sanctions.
Previous Accusations
Washington has previously accused Beijing of enabling Russia’s war economy by supplying dual-use technologies and facilitating military-industrial cooperation.
