China blocks Ukraine drones by abruptly closing the last major supply routes for critical components, putting a visible countdown on Kyiv’s long-range strike campaign against Russia. By choking off access to engines, batteries and flight controllers that Ukrainian manufacturers rely on, Beijing turns a commercial choke point into a strategic weapon.

China’s export clampdown on Ukraine’s drone industry

Ukraine’s drone factories depend on Chinese-made electronics for around 60% of their parts. For years, Baltic and Polish companies acted as legal intermediaries, buying components from China and reselling them to Ukrainian partners. After Beijing identified these channels as a back door to Ukraine, it ordered suppliers to stop shipments to those states, effectively sealing Kyiv’s last dependable route.

The timing matters. Long-range Ukrainian drones now hit Russian ammunition depots, logistics hubs and energy infrastructure hundreds of kilometers from the front line. Each strike undermines Russia not only militarily, but also socially and economically by bringing the war home to ordinary Russians. With the new restrictions, every sortie consumes components that Ukraine may not be able to replace at the same pace.

Why Beijing shields Moscow while denying it

China presents itself as neutral, yet its trade patterns tell another story. Beijing told EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas that it “cannot afford a Russian defeat,” fearing that a weakened Moscow would free the United States to focus more pressure on China. That logic helps explain why Russia receives massive flows of dual-use goods, from hundreds of thousands of miles of fiber-optic cable to the electronics that now make up the bulk of Russian drone systems.

NATO estimates that roughly 80% of the electronics inside Russian drones come from Chinese suppliers. Analysts have also traced Chinese Telefly turbojet engines inside Russia’s new glide bombs, which allow Moscow to strike Ukrainian targets from far outside front-line air defenses. Officially, Beijing insists it does not arm Russia. In practice, its exports keep the Kremlin’s war machine running.

Europe’s last chance to replace Chinese parts

For Ukraine, the only sustainable answer lies in Europe. Defense industry experts argue that the EU and individual NATO states must accelerate investment in regional production of engines, batteries, chips and flight controllers that can drop in as replacements for Chinese parts. Ukraine turned to China because it delivered fast, in huge volumes and at lower cost than Western alternatives. Europe now has to match that scale and speed.

If Europe succeeds, it will not only secure Ukraine’s deep-strike capability, but also reduce its own dependence on Chinese technology in a critical sector. If it hesitates, Russia will keep flying Chinese-enabled drones and glide bombs while Ukraine’s arsenal slowly runs down. Beijing’s latest move is a warning shot: control of supply chains is becoming as decisive as control of territory.