Chinese Companies Part of Russia’s Arms Supply Network, Zelenskyy Tells NATO

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Jun 25, 2025 - 10:03 Updated: Jun 25, 2025 - 09:52
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Chinese Companies Part of Russia’s Arms Supply Network, Zelenskyy Tells NATO

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Chinese companies are part of a global network of suppliers that keeps the Russian war machine running, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Tuesday, as he called on NATO allies to cut off dealings with entities aiding Russia.

“Make sure your countries and your companies are not helping Russia or its buddies in any way. This is crucial, really,” he said.

“There is no significant Russian weapon today that is produced without components, without equipment, or materials from other countries.”

Zelenskyy made the remarks on Tuesday at the NATO Summit Defense Industry Forum in The Hague, the Netherlands, where he urged NATO members to increase investments in Ukrainian defense, including joint weapons production, as the war against Russia stretches into its fourth year.

Russia is able to sustain its war effort, Zelenskyy said, thanks to a “network of state and non-state actors.”

“This network includes Russia, North Korea, the current regime in Iran, Chinese companies, and many, many schemes across the world that help produce weapons and carry out operations against our country, our people, and our Europe,” he told the summit’s participants, urging them to work together to “break every link that connects Russia with its accomplices.”

According to Zelenskyy, foreign parts can be found in every Russian missile, in most of its drones, and in military vehicles.

“It’s not just China—also Taiwan, some of these parts come from European countries and from the United States,” he added. “Every single component or machine tool delivered to Russia’s defense sector helps prolong the war and is a crime against peace.”

This isn’t the first time Kyiv has accused Beijing of aiding Moscow’s military-industrial complex.

Most recently, in May, Ukrainian military intelligence chief Oleh Ivashchenko said his agency had “confirmed data” showing that the Chinese regime was supplying machine tools, special chemicals, gunpowder, and other components to 20 Russian weapon factories.

As of early 2025, some 80 percent of the critical electronic components found in Russian drones originated from China, according to Ivashchenko.

In April, Ukraine sanctioned three Chinese companies that were allegedly involved in the production of Russian Iskander missiles, a nuclear-capable short-range ballistic missile system heavily used in the war.

Beijing has denied involvement in both cases.

Since the long-running Russia–Ukraine conflict escalated into a full-scale war in February 2022, Western governments have imposed sweeping sanctions aimed at restricting Russia’s access to materials that are crucial to building weapons, including cruise missiles and drones. Yet Russia has managed to skirt some of these restrictions to obtain the hardware, partially with the help of complex black market networks.

While China denies providing direct military support to Russia, it is well documented that Chinese refineries have been taking advantage of Western sanctions to buy Russian oil at discounted rates. According to an analysis by the U.S. Department of Energy, imports from Russia increased for the third consecutive year in 2024, averaging 2.2 million barrels per day—nearly one-fifth of China’s total oil imports.

At Tuesday’s summit, Zelenskyy said Russia is using oil revenue to fund its military and to source materials from North Korea, Iran, and “Russia’s corrupt connections in other countries.”

“Our united solidarity is the best answer to Russia’s war network,” he said. “We’re open to various forms of cooperation in the defense sector, including sharing our expertise and achievements with those who help the most.”

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