📂 A journalistic investigation by Bloomberg exposed close cooperation between the russian company “Aero-HIT” and Chinese drone manufacturers, despite Beijing’s claims of neutrality and international sanctions.
Source: Bukvy
📄 The agency analyzed internal documents from “Aero-HIT” and correspondence with russian government officials, revealing sanctions evasion and the use of Chinese ties to develop a drone program, including for attacks on Ukraine.
🏭 The “Aero-HIT” factory near Khabarovsk plans to produce up to 10,000 drones per month this year. The company has become one of the main suppliers of drones for strikes on the Kherson region.
🚁 One of the primary products is the FPV drone “Veles,” created on the basis of the Chinese civilian drone Autel EVO Max 4T. According to documents, since 2023, russian engineers have collaborated with Chinese counterparts on localizing production.
🛑 Although the U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on “Aero-HIT” in 2023, contacts with China’s Autel were resumed at the end of 2024. Negotiations on localizing production have been ongoing since May 2025.
🚫 Autel officially denies cooperation with russia, but documents suggest otherwise. The investigation also mentions that other Chinese companies connected to Harbin Institute of Technology — a partner of the russian military — continue to maintain contact with moscow.
👤 As a reminder, putin personally visited the institute in May 2024, further fueling suspicions of coordination at the state level.
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