Chinese Drone Maker Suspends Business in Russia and Ukraine

Invading Russian troops have been using DJI drones to “navigate” missile attacks in Ukraine, according to a letter from Ukraine’s Vice Prime Minister-Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov to DJI CEO Frank Wang. The letter, posted on Twitter, demands that DJI cease business in Russia “until the war in Ukraine is fully stopped and fair order is restored.” 

“The Russian army uses an extended version of DJI AeroScope … to navigate their missile to kill civilians,” said Fedorov’s letter. 

AeroScope is a DJI product that can be used to locate drones and drone operators, including Ukrainian drone pilots who may be using drones to defend against Russian invaders. DJI’s website describes AeroScope as a “comprehensive drone detection platform that rapidly identifies UAV communication links, gathering information such as flight status, paths, and other information in real-time.”

The letter asked DJI to provide Ukraine with information about how many functioning DJI products are in the country and details about their ID and locations. It asked DJI to “switch on” AeroScope for Ukranian users and to “block all DJI products … purchased and activated” in Russia, Syria, and Lebanon. “Now more than ever, people’s lives depend on your choice,” the letter said.

A DJI statement updated on its website on April 21 said the company has never made products for military applications nor does it market products for military use. “Our products are made to improve people’s lives and benefit the world, and we absolutely deplore any use of our products to cause harm,” DJI’s statement said.

DJI said its “distributors, resellers, and other business partners” have agreed “not to sell DJI products to customers who clearly plan to use them for military purposes, or help modify our products for military use.” The company said it “will terminate our business relationship” with companies who “cannot adhere to this commitment.”

In the two months since Russia invaded Ukraine, the Chinese government has failed to condemn Moscow—unlike 141 other nations, including the U.S and its NATO partners. DJI, a privately held company based in Shenzhen, China, is not officially a state-owned business, but DJI’s investors include entities owned or administered by the Chinese government, according to reports.

DJI is the best-selling brand of drones in the U.S. In fact, the company’s products have been banned recently by some U.S. government officials who suspect the technology presents a data threat to national security. DJI has denied any wrongdoing, saying it “does not access the flight logs, photos, or videos generated during drone flights unless customers choose to actively share that data.”