Zelensky Says China Sells Drones to Russia, Not Ukraine

President Volodymyr Zelensky said China has stopped selling drones to Kyiv and other European nations, while continuing shipments to Russia.

Drones have been a defining feature of the War in Ukraine, providing both sides with the opportunity to see the battlefield and strike deep behind enemy lines. Ukraine was initially entirely dependent on imported Chinese drones, such as the DJI Mavic, but now has the capacity to manufacture a large number of drones domestically.  

“Chinese Mavic is open for Russians but is closed for Ukrainians,” Zelensky told a group of reporters on Tuesday.  “There are production lines on Russian territory where there are Chinese representatives,” reported Bloomberg. 

Zelensky’s comments come after Kyiv has grown increasingly vocal about China’s support for Russia. China has officially denied providing arms and materiel to Russia, but Ukraine has accused China of supplying weapons, soldiers, and technology to the Russians.

In comments to Bloomberg, the Chinese foreign ministry stated: “China’s stance on [the] Ukraine issue has been consistent and clear: we have been committed to stopping the war and promoting peace talks. China has never provided any side with lethal weapons and strictly controls dual-use items. China firmly opposes baseless accusations and political manipulation.

This comes as the Chinese firm DJI, which makes the Mavic, recently released its new DJI Mavic 4 Pro on May 13.  The Mavic 4 Pro features new enhancements, including a wider range of camera movement, increased flight time, speed, and range, according to a recent article from Overtdefense.

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The new Mavic 4 Pro will not be available in the US because of a ban by the US Customs and Border Patrol.  Last year, Congress passed the H.R.2864 - ‘Countering CCP Drones Act,’ which requires drone equipment from DJI to be added to a list of equipment that “pose an unacceptable risk to U.S. national security.”