China’s supply of components for combat drones used by Russia in the war against Ukraine has increased several times over the past year. The Russian army is particularly active in deploying drones with fiber-optic control on the front lines, which have enhanced resistance to electronic warfare measures. As a result, the occupiers have significantly complicated the supply of frontline positions for Ukrainian troops and are conducting attacks on the civilian population of frontline cities. Experts note that without large-scale support from China, the effectiveness of these drones would be significantly lower.
This is reported by Business • Media
Record volumes of fiber-optic cable supplies
In May and June of this year, Russia received a record amount of fiber-optic cables from China, and in August, their export increased nearly tenfold – to 524,800 kilometers. The high price of such shipments relative to their weight indicates their military nature. It is estimated that the August supplies alone are sufficient to produce over 26,000 drones.
In comparison, Ukraine also receives fiber-optic cables from China, but the scale is not comparable: only 115 kilometers were shipped in August. China has officially ceased direct supplies of finished drones to Russia; however, the export of key components continues, indicating ongoing support for the Russian military-industrial complex.
“If you look at how the front line is changing, Russia is capturing territory in chunks equal to the distance that drones can fly on fiber optics,” says Kateryna Bondar, a researcher at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Overall decline in China’s exports to Russia
Despite the increase in military component supplies, the export of non-military Chinese goods to Russia is rapidly declining. In September, this figure fell by 21%, marking the sharpest decline since February: the total amount of supplies was $8.85 billion. The decline is occurring even despite Kremlin calls for increased mutual trade. The dynamics of the drop in imports from China are accelerating: in July, the annual decline was 8.6%, and in August, it was 16.4%. Over the nine months of 2025, imports of goods from China to Russia decreased by 10.6%.