US sanctions target Russian, Chinese firms over attack drones used in Ukraine war

The United States has imposed sanctions on three companies from Russia and China, along with one Russian individual, linked to the development and production of attack drones used by Russia in its ongoing war against Ukraine. The sanctioned entities include the Kupoli factory in Izhevsk, Russia; Chinese firms Xiamen Limbach Aircraft Engine and Redlepus Vector Industry Shenzhen; and Artyom Yamshchikov, General Director of TSK Vector.

The US Department of State and Treasury said these drones—developed in China in collaboration with Russian companies—have been used in strikes that have devastated critical infrastructure in Ukraine, resulting in significant casualties. The sanctions aim to disrupt the supply chain for Russia’s drone program, which is believed to involve importing Chinese-made drones through TSK Vector’s mediation with Kupol.

In a report by Reuters, it was revealed that the Kupol electromechanical factory, a subsidiary of Russia’s state arms manufacturer Almaz-Antey, worked with Chinese specialists in September 2024 to develop and test a new drone model known as the Garpiya-3. This drone has a payload capacity of 50 kilograms and a range of approximately 2,000 kilometers.

Ukraine, facing intensified drone assaults, has ramped up its own production of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), reportedly increasing output tenfold in 2024 compared to the previous year. The escalation of drone use comes amid Russia’s latest wave of attacks on Ukrainian cities.

In the early hours of Friday, Russian forces launched a large-scale drone offensive targeting multiple regions in Ukraine, according to the Ukrainian Air Force. The strike involved 135 Shahed-type drones, launched from Russia’s Kursk, Oryol, and Primorsko-Akhtarsk areas. Of these, 80 were intercepted and destroyed over Odessa, Sumy, Cherkasy, Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Kirovograd, Chernihiv, Poltava, Khmelnytskyi, Rivne, Kharkiv, Kherson, and Vinnytsia.

The Ukrainian military reported that 44 drones crashed within Russian territory, two entered Belarus, and 10 remained over central Ukraine.