The Russian manufacturer of Garpiya-A1 drones continues to receive Chinese-made engines, according to a Reuters report citing customs records and three European officials. The engines are reportedly shipped under the label of “industrial refrigeration units.”
The recipient of these shipments is the Izhevsk Electromechanical Plant (IEMZ) Kupol, which produces the Russian Garpiya drone. The company was sanctioned by the United States in October of last year.
According to Reuters, the Russian manufacturer is receiving L550E engines from Xiamen Limbach Aviation Engine Co., a company based in China. In September of last year, Reuters had already reported that Garpiya drones were built using components supplied by Xiamen.
Following the imposition of sanctions, the shipments were rerouted through another firm — Beijing Xichao International Technology and Trade.
A supply contract reviewed by Reuters specifies that the engines destined for Kupol are labeled in customs documents as “cooling systems,” which are shipped from Beijing to Moscow and then on to Izhevsk. By disguising the shipments in this manner, the drone engines are exported to Russia in violation of sanctions.
Reuters did not provide an estimate as to the value or volume of the shipments. However, the outlet cited internal documents from Kupol stating that the company plans to deliver more than 6,000 Garpiya drones to the Russian military this year — three times more than last year.
As of April 2025, the Russian Ministry of Defense had received delivery of close to 1,500 of these drones. Russian forces are reportedly using about 500 Garpiya drones per month, according to Reuters sources in Ukrainian intelligence.