INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Russia has been using Chinese-made engines to produce long-range attack drones for deployment in Ukraine since at least mid-2023, Reuters
reported Friday, citing European intelligence sources.The Russian company IEMZ Kupol was said to have manufactured over 2,500 Garpiya-A1
is powered by Limbach L-550 E engines
Originally designed by an unidentified German company, the engines are now produced by the Chinese firm Xiamen Limbach.In December, the
United States sanctioned IEMZ Kupol over its production of anti-aircraft defense equipment and kamikaze attack drones
Defense Ministry signed a 1 billion ruble ($10.9 million) contract with IEMZ Kupol in early 2023 to develop a factory to produce the
investigative reports indicated that commercial sites had been converted into drone production plants since the start of the war
IEMZ Kupol allegedly purchased the cement factory in 2020.Ukraine estimates that Russia has launched nearly 14,000 drones against civilian
and military targets since its full-scale invasion in February 2022, with the majority being Iranian-designed Shaheds.
