TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Ukraine has accused China of supplying the arms industry of Russia. The head of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service, Ivashchenko, claimed that his country has data confirming the accusation.
To the Ukrinform news agency on Monday, May 26, 2025, Ivashchenko said that Ukraine can "confirm" that China provided materials and crucial equipment to 20 Russian military plants.
"The Ukrainian side knows this full well, and China firmly opposes groundless accusations and political manipulation," said Ivashchenko, as quoted by Al Jazeera. "We have confirmed data on 20 Russian factories."
Last month, Ukraine also accused China of providing direct military assistance to Russia's arms industry. Ivashchenko mentioned that his country's intelligence agency can now confirm the reports.
Meanwhile, China has denied the allegations. Beijing stated that they are not aiding Moscow's war against its neighboring country.
Despite China's attempt to portray a neutral image and deny any involvement in the war, China has increased its trade and economic cooperation with Russia since the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Meanwhile, Western nations have imposed extensive sanctions on Moscow.
Ukraine consistently claims that China is supporting the war. Ukraine stated that Beijing has sent troops to fight alongside Russian forces.
Last month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made his first public accusations that China supplied gunpowder and materials to Russian arms manufacturers. He also accused Chinese nationals of assisting in the production of drones.
China rejected the claims as "groundless." As a result, Kyiv has imposed sanctions on three Chinese entities.
Ivashchenko said that Ukrainian intelligence has information about at least five cases of Russia-China cooperation in the aviation sector between 2024 and 2025, including equipment transfers, spare parts, and technical documentation.
He added that there were six cases involving large-scale special chemical shipments, but did not provide further details.
"As of early 2025, 80 percent of critical electronic components found in Russian drones originated in China," Ivashchenko stated.
"At the same time, there are facts of product substitutions, deceptive product names; there are shell companies through which everything necessary for the production of microelectronics is supplied."
The comments surfaced as the Ukrainian Air Force accused Russia of launching a large number of drones against Ukraine on Sunday night.
Ukraine's report mentioned that Russian forces deployed 298 drones and 69 missiles, but the Ukrainian Air Force claimed they successfully downed 266 drones and 45 missiles. Ukraine said the attack was the largest in terms of fired weapons since the war began.
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