The government bide vowed last month to sue companies that sell to Russia critical technologies as part of its efforts to counter Russia’s war drive Ukraine. But the continued flow of Chinese drones into Russia explains why this will be difficult.
While drone sales have slowed, policies have been imposed by US after the invasion of Russia failed to halt exports of unmanned aerial vehicles that act as sky scouts for fighter jets. The year after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the China According to official customs data from an independent data provider, the company has sold more than $12 million worth of drones and drone components to Russia.
It is difficult to determine whether Chinese drones contain American technology that would violate US rules, or whether they are even legal. Shipments containing a mix of products from DJI, the world’s bestknown drone manufacturer, and a variety of smaller companies are often handled by middlemen or small export companies.
A Ukrainian soldier pilots a drone on the front lines in the Donetsk region, in a May 15 picture. Equipment has become vital to both armies in the war Photo: Tyler Hicks/NYT
Complicated distribution channels and vague product descriptions within the export data also make it difficult to unequivocally prove US ingredients in Chinese products, which could constitute a violation of US export controls. And the official sales are likely just a part of a larger stream of tech coming through unofficial channels and by other proRussian nations such as Russia Kazakhstan, Pakistan It is Belarus.
The result is a steady stream of new drones into Russia, landing on the front lines of the war with Ukraine. On the battlefield, quadcopters survive only a few fights before falling from the sky. Restocking of even the simplest unmanned aerial vehicles has become a critical element, of a similar necessity to the procurement of artillery and infantry shells.
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Military, diplomatic and economic Beijing became an increasingly important pillar of Russia’s war effort. China remains one of the biggest buyers of Russian oil and is helping the Kremlin fund the invasion. The countries also held joint military exercises and attacked them NATO together.
As China’s supreme leader Xi Jinpingmeets with the Russian President this week, Wladimir PutinUS officials warn Beijing is still considering selling lethal weapons for use in Ukraine.
The US Secretary of State, Anton Blinkensaid Monday the visit was a “diplomatic cover for Russia to continue committing war crimes.”
US efforts to isolate Russia from muchneeded technology and cash have been complicated by China’s dominance of global electronics supply chains.
The US has tried to rein in some Chinese companies through export controls in recent years, but the world remains heavily dependent on Chinese citysized factories and centers for manufacturing specialty components. The country’s disproportionate role makes it difficult to understand and control what foreign products go into simple but essential consumer electronics like drones, which can be made from widely available components sold in retail outlets.
“This poses a challenge for export controls: the same model can be used by real estate agents to analyze a property, or used in Ukraine to gather information,” said William Reinsch, a researcher at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. and former Department of Commerce official for export control oversight.
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“We’re not talking about the most advanced technologies in the world it’s impossible to avoid devices with American chips,” he added, noting that if there are no American components, trading drones becomes a political issue, not too a legal .
Russian President Vladimir Putin with Chinese President Xi Jinping during the Chinese leader’s visit to Moscow
Of particular concern to the US government is DJI, the maker of the quadcopters that have become a symbol of a new type of warfare in Ukraine. The company continues to sell drones to Russia, although it has suspended shipments to both Russia and Ukraine. The company is already a target of US export controls.
The Department of Commerce has included DJI on a 2020 list that will prevent US companies from selling technology to DJI without express permission. The move didn’t detract from DJI’s dominance in the industry, and its products accounted for about half of China’s drone sales to Russia, according to customs data. Some of the equipment was sold by DJI through a subsidiary, iFlight Technology.
In total, around 70 Chinese export companies have sold 26 different brands of Chinese drones to Russia since the invasion began. The second largest brand in these sales was Autel, a Chinese drone manufacturer with operations in the US, Germany and Italy; Exporters have sold about $2 million worth of these drone models, the latest shipment to be shipped last month. The company announces on its website that it sells drones to American police forces.
A DJI spokesman said the company could not find any records of direct sales to Russia after April 16, 2022, and that it will investigate other companies that appear to be selling to Russia. DJI, he said, has halted all shipments to and operations in Russia and Ukraine since the beginning of the war and has implemented “strict protocols” to ensure it does not violate US sanctions.
“Like any consumer electronics company, with products sold in many electronics stores, we cannot determine how our products are being used if they are beyond our control,” the spokesman added in an emailed statement. Autel said via email that it was not aware of any sales to Russia and that an internal investigation into the matter was ongoing. / TRANSLATION BY GUILHERME RUSSO