Overview

• The Washington Post, citing official Chinese customs figures, reports record exports of fiber‑optic cable to Russia of about 190,400 km in May, 208,000 km in June, and roughly 525,000 km in August.
• Exports of lithium‑ion batteries to Russia hit a record $54 million in June and eased to about $47 million in August, which the report links to drone production needs rather than civilian uses.
• Ukrainian military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov has warned that fiber‑optic‑tethered drones, controlled via thin cables, are far harder to jam and pose a major challenge on the battlefield.
• Beijing publicly asserts neutrality and says direct exports of finished UAVs to Russia have declined, yet trade data show sharp increases in shipments of key components.
• China also sells fiber‑optic cable to Ukraine, but the volumes are far smaller, with one report citing just 116 km supplied compared with the hundreds of thousands of kilometers sent to Russia.