Russia imports more than 90 per cent of sanctioned technology via China, indicating Moscow’s growing dependence on Beijing amid Russia’s long war against Ukraine, Bloomberg reported, citing sources with knowledge of the situation.
According to the publication, the figure is up from last year’s level of around 80 per cent as the European Union tightens measures against routes used by Russia to receive restricted goods.
While the sources did not disclose the volume changes, Russia has been able to rely on this support to ramp up production of many weapons systems, particularly missiles and drones.
The Chinese Embassy in Brussels did not respond to a request for comment on these figures.
The EU has used sanctions to try to prevent Russia from gaining access to technology needed for weapons production. At issue are semiconductors, integrated circuits, electronics and equipment. The bloc also imposed sanctions on companies in several countries, especially China and Hong Kong, which allegedly helped Moscow circumvent the measures.
However, these efforts have not stopped China from continuing to supply Russia with vital resources. Beijing has also provided Russia with geospatial intelligence, satellite imagery for military purposes and drones, despite a reduction in exports of these goods to Ukraine and other countries, as Bloomberg previously reported.
However, sources said most EU countries are hesitant to impose tougher sanctions against China for fear of retaliation from Beijing.
China has repeatedly stated that it does not recognise international sanctions and has normal trade relations with Russia.
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), Russia’s military expenditures in 2025 increased by 5.9 per cent to $190 billion (by this indicator, Russia remained in third place – after the United States and China).
Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, China has publicly declared a neutral position and urged the parties to negotiate. Despite this, Western countries regularly claim that Beijing supports the Russian military-industrial complex. In particular, the Estonian intelligence agency claimed that China is helping Russia in the production of military drones by supplying critical Western components. According to its report, Russia receives about 80 per cent of such components from China.