China will supply Russia with kamikaze drones

China intends to supply the Russian army with kamikaze drones of its own production. This is reported by Der Spiegel with reference to its sources. According to Der Spiegel, about a hundred drones should be sent to Russia by the beginning of April.

We are talking about an agreement between the Ministry of Defense of Russia and the Chinese company Xi’an Bingo Intelligent Aviation Technology. The drones under discussion are the ZT-180 model, capable of carrying a warhead weighing from 35 to 50 kilograms. According to military experts, this model is similar to the design of the Iranian Shahed-136 kamikaze drone.

“Shakhedy”, in Russian terminology called “Geran-2”. According to Ukraine and international observers, Russia uses “Shahedy” for attacks in Ukraine, including for attacks on civilian infrastructure and civilians. Russia and Iran denied this, however, in November, Iran acknowledged the delivery of drones to Russia – “a small amount of them even before the war in Ukraine.” The intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine claims that it has data that the propeller of at least one drone was manufactured after the beginning of the Russian invasion.

Der Spiegel notes that the supply of weapons to Russia contradicts the plan for a peaceful resolution of the conflict in Ukraine presented by China. In the 12-point plan, the PRC calls for an end to the war through negotiations and calls on the countries of the world to “support Russia and Ukraine so that they work in the same direction and eventually achieve a complete ceasefire.”