China War Drone for "Retribution"? Why a Putin deal could bring new suffering to Ukraine

The Russian military is apparently running out of combat drones in the Ukraine war.

Replenishment could only come from China of all places.

MOSCOW - The Russian armed forces could soon resort to Chinese kamikaze drones in the Ukraine war to carry out further attacks against major Ukrainian cities.

At least that's what the USA fears - and according to research by

, the Russian government is currently in talks with the Chinese drone manufacturer Xi'an Bingo Intelligent Aviation Technology.

Moscow apparently wants to convince its strategic partner to supply numerous kamikaze drones to Russia.

Ukraine war: Russia needs new kamikaze drones - talks with Beijing are said to be already underway

Kamikaze drones are small flying objects that are equipped with an explosive device and can automatically fly to a predetermined target.

Arrived at the target point, the drones maneuver into buildings or critical infrastructure systems and detonate the explosive charge on impact.

When attacking, the Kamikaze drones often act in swarms or in conjunction with conventional missiles to overcome enemy air defenses.

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Iranian Shahed-136 kamikaze drones could be replaced by Chinese weapon systems in the Russian armed forces in the future.

(archive image)

© Sobhan Farajvan/imago-images

For the Russian military, this strategy has already proven itself several times in the ongoing Ukraine war.

Until now, Moscow had been able to use Iranian-made kamikaze drones.

The Shahed-136 missiles were often used in autumn for attacks on Ukrainian metropolises - above all on the capital Kiev.

The Iranian regime confirmed in November that it had delivered a "small number" of Shahed drones to Russia.

But the stocks now seem to be exhausted.

For attacks on Ukrainian cities: Russia wants ZT-180 combat drones from China

The British Ministry of Defense said in its daily intelligence report on Saturday (February 26) that Russia had not used kamikaze drones since February 15.

The British experts saw this as a sign of depleted supplies of the Russian military.

But it is to be expected that Russia will try to get supplies in the coming weeks.

This replenishment could now come from China of all places.

The focus of the Russian military leadership is said to be on ZT-180 drones.

Even if not much is known about the exact specifications of the weapon systems, the drones should at least be comparable to the Iranian Shahed models.

Military expert and NATO adviser James Rogers told Newsweek

the drones could probably also be launched from Russian territory "to conveniently hit key targets in Ukraine, including Kiev." military targets on the battlefield as well as against civilian targets.

Rogers went on to say Russia could use the drones to carry out "retaliatory attacks."

Russian President Vladimir Putin wanted to send a "very strong political message" to Ukraine and the United States.

Drone deliveries cause explosives - USA threatens sanctions

However, drone deliveries from China would provide plenty of explosives.

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken recently expressed concern about the strategic partnership between Moscow and Beijing at the Munich Security Conference.

He warned the Chinese government against deliveries.

On Tuesday (February 28), Blinken announced sanctions against Chinese companies and individuals in the event of arms deliveries.

CIA Director William Burns said in an interview with CBS over the weekend that it was "convinced that the Chinese leadership is considering providing lethal equipment."

However, according to information from the US secret service, there has not yet been a final decision from Beijing.

Russia is looking for new drones – Beijing accuses the USA of disinformation

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning publicly denied the US allegations on Monday.

"The US has poured arms into one side of the conflict, prolonging the struggle and making peace difficult to achieve, while spreading disinformation that China would supply arms to Russia and using this pretext to sanction Chinese companies." Beijing, on the other hand, is trying actively involved in peace talks between Moscow and Kiev.

A Year of the Ukraine War: The Origins of the Conflict with Russia

A Year of Ukraine War: The Origins of the Conflict with Russia

China had increasingly sided with Russia in the Ukraine war in the past week.

At the end of January, Beijing publicly blamed the United States for triggering the Ukraine war.

However, the delivery of ZT-180 drones to Russia would not only further strain the relationship between Washington and Beijing, but also allow a new wave of Russian attacks in Ukraine.

Last fall, Russia's army had primarily targeted civilian infrastructure.

Rubric list image: © Sobhan Farajvan/imago-images