China’s escalating conflict with the US over trade is now extending to the drones that have become a vital part of Ukraine’s defense.

China is reportedly making drones for Russia instead, according to multiple intelligence officials, but China has denied any weapons manufacturing for either side of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

We don’t even hear them anymore,” Zhenya chuckles from under first-person-view (FPV) goggles branded with the U.S. company “Fat Shark.” Zhenya and his co-developer for DragoDrones, or DCU, Maksym, are testing a stack of small FPV drones in a field in Kharkiv Oblast.

The restrictions by China form part of a wider export ban on drone components that could be announced in January, according to Bloomberg.

According to Bloomberg's findings, Chinese authorities are close to deciding to significantly limit the supply of drones and components to the West. Both American and Ukrainian media note that without affordable Chinese technology,

Chinese manufacturers began limiting their sales of vital drone components to their U.S. and European customers, preluding a broader ban on exports by officials, Bloomberg wrote on Dec. 9, citing undisclosed sources.

Western officials have claimed to have information about China's intentions to expand export restrictions on components used in the production of various drones starting from 2025, which may make them less accessible,