Overview

• Two European security officials and documents reviewed by Reuters point to more than six trips by Chinese specialists to IEMZ Kupol since the second quarter of 2024 for assembly, training, and flight testing.
• Invoices and bank statements indicate Kupol received over a dozen one-way attack drones from Chinese maker Sichuan AEE, with deliveries routed via Russian intermediary TSK Vektor.
• AEE paperwork shows A140 and A900 drones delivered, with A60, A100, and A200 models evaluated at the Chebarkul test site in late 2024 after visits to Kupol’s Izhevsk facilities.
• An AEE invoice and account statement show more than 5 million yuan billed in the second quarter of 2025 for A200 drones equipped with anti-jamming systems and other goods.
• Documents also tie Kupol to Chinese firm Hunan Haotianyi through HW52V testing and expert visits, with later work noted on a GA-21 drone model, while China denies supplying lethal weapons and Reuters cautions it cannot fully verify the purpose of the cooperation.