Telegraph reports Chinese state firm secretly supplied drone components to Russia

September 7, 2026 at 02:38 PM2 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

The Telegraph and Politico reported on Sunday that China's Jilin Chemical Fiber Group secretly supplied Russia with 46 tonnes of polyacrylonitrile raw material for carbon fiber used in Geran kamikaze drones. The shipment went to Alabuga-Volokno, a subsidiary of Rosatom's Umatex division, according to documents obtained by the Ukrainian Security and Cooperation Center. China's embassy in Washington rejected the allegations as slander.

Key Facts

Jilin Chemical Fiber Group shipped 46 tonnes of polyacrylonitrile raw material to Alabuga-Volokno, a Rosatom subsidiary, according to documents obtained by the Ukrainian Security and Cooperation Center.
The shipment was disguised under a customs code for civilian synthetic materials like nylon and polyester instead of a dual-use goods code.
US expert David Albright estimated the supplied volume could produce carbon fiber for 1,300 kamikaze drones.
The Ukrainian Security and Cooperation Center says it has tracked at least eight tenders for polyacrylonitrile raw material from Jilin Chemical Fiber Group to Alabuga-Volokno since 2022.
China's embassy in Washington called the reports slander and said Beijing never supplied lethal weapons to parties in the conflict.

The Alleged Shipment

The Telegraph and Politico reported on Sunday that China's Jilin Chemical Fiber Group sent 46 tonnes of polyacrylonitrile raw material to Alabuga-Volokno, a subsidiary of Rosatom's Umatex division. Alabuga-Volokno supplies high-strength carbon fiber for mass production of long-range kamikaze drones based on Iranian Shahed designs, according to the Ukrainian Security and Cooperation Center. The shipment was declared under a customs code for civilian synthetic materials such as nylon and polyester, rather than a dual-use goods code. Documents were obtained by the Ukrainian Security and Cooperation Center from Russian sources and passed to the US and UK governments.

Scale and Verification

US expert David Albright estimated that the supplied polyacrylonitrile raw material is enough to produce carbon fiber for 1,300 kamikaze drones. The Ukrainian Security and Cooperation Center says it has tracked at least eight tenders for polyacrylonitrile raw material in containers from Jilin Chemical Fiber Group to Alabuga-Volokno since 2022. American, British, and Ukrainian officials have authenticated the documents, according to the investigation.

China's Response

China's embassy in Washington said reports of support for Russia's combat drone program are slander and an attempt to make China a scapegoat. Beijing stressed that it has never supplied lethal weapons to parties in the conflict and strictly controls dual-use goods. Former US officials familiar with oversight of Chinese state enterprises rejected those claims, with former CIA deputy assistant director Dennis Wilder saying a state company could not hide such activity from Chinese authorities.