September 25, 2024

Russia has secret war drones project in China, intel sources say

Source: Reuters

Still, Samuel Bendett, an adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS), a Washington-based think-tank, said Beijing would be hesitant to open itself up to international sanctions for helping Moscow's war machine. He said more information was needed to establish that China was playing host to production of Russian military drones.

The White House National Security Council said it was deeply concerned by the Reuters report of the drones programme, which it said appeared to be an instance of a Chinese company providing lethal assistance to a U.S.-sanctioned Russian firm.

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But Bendett at CNAS said Beijing had reason to tread carefully: "For a factory to exist officially that builds UAVs for the Russians exposes China to some of the more severe effects of the sanctions, so it's not clear the extent to which China would be willing to expose itself."

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Author

  • Samuel Bendett

    Adjunct Senior Fellow, Technology and National Security Program

    Samuel Bendett is an Adviser with CNA Strategy, Policy, Plans and Programs Center (SP3), where he is a member of the Russia Studies Program. His work involves research on the ...