The document includes, among other things, a memo from the company Aero-Hit and correspondence with Russian government officials. Aero-Hit has, with the help of financing from the Russian state, collaborated with Chinese actors to build drones in large-scale production, according to Bloomberg.
In June last year, the US Department of Finance imposed sanctions on the Russian company Aero-Hit, and stated that drones of the type Veles, which the company manufactures, "have been used by Russian forces based in Cherson against Ukrainian targets". Veles is a type of drone that allows pilots to follow its path on the battlefield in real-time through either a monitor or VR glasses. The model is often used in Russian attacks.
According to a letter from June 16 this year, Aero-Hit has collaborated with the Chinese company Autel Robotics - one of China's largest companies in drone production - since early 2023. Due to sanctions, the collaboration was temporarily suspended, but contact was re-established at the end of 2024.
Bloomberg has sought Aero-Hit, the Russian Ministry of Defense, and China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs for a comment, but to no avail.
Autel Robotics writes in an email to the news agency that they have never collaborated with Aero-Hit.
