The news agency Reuters has seen the documents from the two European intelligence services. They will show that Russia has secretly started a factory that produces long-range drones in China. Chinese experts are helping the Russians in developing the drones, according to Reuters. One of the documents describes communications between the arms manufacturer and the Chinese Ministry of Defense. 2,000 kilometer range In the dialogue between the weapons factory and the authorities, the manufacturer confirms that they can make and deliver long-range drones for “the military special operation” that Russian forces are behind in Ukraine. President Putin at a drone factory in St. Petersburg on September 19. Photo: Valery Sharifulin / Reuters China thus uses the same designation as Russian President Vladimir Putin. He consistently fails to call the attack on Ukraine a war. The arms manufacturer behind the new drones is IEMZ Kupol, which will be a subsidiary of the state-owned Chinese arms manufacturer Almaz-Antey. They have made successful test flights of the drone type Garpiya-3, called “G-3”, then they have started transferring the drones to Russia, according to Reuters. “G-3” should have a range of 2,000 kilometers. Some of the drones have already been delivered to Russia, including to the city of Izhevsk, writes foreignpolicy.com. President Putin visited a drone factory in St. Petersburg on September 19. The e-service in two European countries believes the Russians are producing long-range drones in China. Photo: Grigory Sysoyev / Reuters With that range, the “G-3” will be comparable to the Iranian-produced Shahed-136 drone that the country supplies to Russia. The EU starts an investigation – We are very troubled by the reports that the Russians are developing attack drones in China for use in the war in Ukraine, says EU spokesperson Nabila Massrali. – If the reports are true, it means that China is delivering finished weapons to Russia, Massrali told Reuters at the weekend. – This breaks with China’s narrative that the country does not supply weapons to Russia’s attack on Ukraine. We will examine the information and we demand an answer from the Chinese authorities, says the EU spokesperson. The United States protests The United States is very concerned about the information that the Russians are making long-range drones in China, writes Reuters. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken reacts strongly to the information about China’s support for the Russian defense industry. Foreign Ministers Antony Blinken and Wang Yi. Photo: Heather Khalifa / AP He raised the issue in a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in New York on Friday. – So when Beijing says that on the one hand they want peace and an end to the conflict, but on the other hand allow Chinese companies to take measures that actually help Putin to continue waging war, it doesn’t add up, said Blinken. The flash made it clear that the US is considering more sanctions against China, writes France 24. The US foreign minister believes that China is “filling Russia’s war machine with fuel”. – It is a big problem for us that the Chinese supply what Russia needs to wage war. It is an even bigger problem for European countries, says Blinken. “A startling development” Reuters has spoken to a researcher at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London who believes this is a startling development. – If you look at what China has delivered up to now, it is mainly electronic parts and components that the Russians can use to produce weapons, says Fabian Hinz. – This is the first time we have confirmed that finished weapons are being delivered from China to Russia, says the researcher. Vladimir Putin recently visited an arms manufacturer in Russia. Photo: Gavriil Grigorov / Reuters The Biden administration in the US has introduced sanctions against several Chinese companies that supply weapons parts and weapons technology to Russia, writes Newsweek. But this is the first time that China has delivered ready-made weapons to Russia, confirms Newsweek. Last week, Putin said that the goal is to get Russia ten times more drones than in 2023. At that time, the Russians produced 140,000 drones, so the goal next year is 1.4 million drones. China: – Stop the slander Foreign Minister Antony Blinken says it is essential to pressure Iran, North Korea and China to stop supplies of weapons, artillery, military vehicles and other types of support to Russia. Blinken said that about 70 percent of mechanical weapon parts and 90 percent of the microelectronics Russia imports for use in weapons come from China. Presidents Xi and Putin entered into a strategic partnership shortly before the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Photo: Pavel Volkov / Reuters Blinken says this equipment allows Moscow to produce missiles, armored vehicles and artillery shells used in the war against Ukraine. China’s foreign minister urges the US to work for a respectful dialogue with China. – The US should stop the slander and sanctions against China and refrain from using the case to create division and provoke confrontations between blocs, says Wang. China says it has not sent weapons directly to Russia, drawing a contrast with the United States, which has sent billions of dollars worth of military aid to Ukraine since the war broke out in February 2022. China does not comment on the fact that it was Russian forces that attacked Ukraine, not opposite. Published 29/09/2024, at 19.00
ttn-69
Secret Russian drone factory in China – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
