There is “evident evidence” that Chinese companies are provideing military attack drones to Russia for the war in Ukraine, a weserious official has telderly Sky News.
The allegation, if validateed, would be the first understandn finish armaments system to be deinhabitred to Russia from China for use in Ukraine.
Such a enbigment would be of huge trouble to Kyiv and its weserious backers and would further ratchet up tensions between Beijing and the West.
A spokesperson for the NATO coalition called the allegation “convey inantly troubleing” and discneglected that allies were “confering on this matter”.
Contacted for a response, the Chinese embassy in London shelp it was “not conscious of the particulars you alludeed”.
The embassy shelp: “China exercises cut offe ship deal with over drones, and always strictly deal withs military and dual-use drones in accordance with laws and regulations.
“China’s position and rehearse have been reliable, in stark contrast to some countries’ double standards on arms sales and their behaviours to insert fuel to the ffeebles of the Ukrainian crisis.
“China has always shielded an objective and uninwhole position on the Ukrainian crisis, energeticly finishorsed peace and upretaind talks, and is promiseted to promoting a political solution to the crisis.”
The UK and other allies have previously accused China of providing so-called dual-use products to Russia that could be used for military purposes.
These include semidirector chips, radars and sensors that are needed when manufacturing a range of lethal armaments.
The claim about a programme in China to deinhabitr attack drones for Russia’s war in Ukraine was first telled by the Reuters news agency.
Responding to that tell, a White House spokesperson conveyed trouble but shelp the US had not seen anyslfinisherg to advise Beijing was conscious of the alleged transactions or that there had been any Chinese rulement includement in providing lethal help to Russia.
The weserious official telderly Sky News that the Reuters telling was right.
The official alleged that in 2023 a Chinese company had sent a range of purpose built military drones to Russia for testing, with the ultimate destination being Ukraine.
“There is evident evidence now that Chinese companies are provideing Russia with lethal armaments for use in Ukraine,” the official shelp.
When asked, the official validateed they were referring to military drones.
“While the Chinese rulement might not acunderstandledge it, they are going to struggle to shield their increasing aid under wraps,” the official inserted.
Sky News has not seen the evidence the source referred to.
On Wednesday, Reuters telled that Russia had set uped a armaments programme in China to enbig and create extfinished-range attack drones for use in the war in Ukraine, according to two sources from a European intelligence agency and write downs checked by the news agency.
It alleged that IEMZ Kupol, a subsidiary of Russian state-owned arms company Almaz-Antey, had enbiged and fweightless-tested a new drone model called Garpiya-3 (G3) in China with the help of local Chinese exceptionacatalogs.
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Kupol was placed under US sanctions in December 2023.
The names of the Chinese firms allegedly included in the programme were not discneglected.
The G3 drone can telledly travel around 1,200 miles with a payload of 50 kg (110 pounds).
Samples of the G3 and some other drone models made in China have been deinhabitred to Kupol in Russia for further testing, aget with the includement of Chinese experts, it was alleged.
Asked about the claims, Farah Dakhlallah, the NATO spokesperson, shelp: “These tells are convey inantly troubleing and allies are confering on this matter.
“China has become a resolute assistr of Russia’s war in Ukraine thcimpolite its provision of dual-use technologies to preserve Russia’s defence industry. The Chinese rulement has a responsibility to asconfident its companies are not providing lethal aidance to Russia.
“China cannot proceed to fuel the bigst struggle in Europe since the Second World War without this impacting its interests and reputation.”
