Journalists from the American agency Bloomberg have established that Russia is successfully using Chinese companies to produce combat drones, which are used, among other things, for strikes on Kherson.
According to the investigation, since the beginning of 2023, "Aerohit" has been cooperating with the Chinese manufacturer Autel Robotics to localize the EVO Max 4T drone, remade in Russia under the name "Veles". The company has built a factory near Khabarovsk with a capacity of up to 10,000 drones per month.
The "Aerohit" company is owned by the "Komax" holding, owned by Konstantin Basyuk - a former KGB officer and senator from the occupied Kherson region. "Komax" also controls the Khabarovsk airport.
In a statement to Bloomberg, Autel Robotics denied cooperation with "Aerohit" and said it had cut off all ties with Russia since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. It is unclear whether the company knew its technology was being used for combat purposes, but it has been sanctioned by Britain for undermining Ukrainian sovereignty and by the Pentagon for ties to the Chinese military.
On Tuesday morning, Ukrainian authorities said a Russian drone dropped an explosive device on a civilian car in Kherson, killing a 66-year-old man and injuring nine others in six separate strikes.
Overnight, the Korabelny district was also shelled, causing material damage to homes but no casualties.