The russian federation has managed to increase the production of ballistic missiles for the Iskander-M tactical missile system several times. This became possible due to the active import of components and raw materials from China. It was reported by analysts at the CSIS think tank.
According to the researchers, it was China that played a key role in the restoration and expansion of russian military-industrial production after the introduction of Western sanctions. The volume of trade between China and russia has grown rapidly: in 2024, the trade turnover reached almost USD 250 billion, while in 2022 it was about USD 190 billion. China's share in russia's foreign trade increased to 33.8 percent, while in 2014 this figure was only 11.3 percent.
Of particular importance are the supplies of dual-use goods that russia uses in military production. These include microchips, machine tools, radars, sensors, and various sensors that russia is unable to produce in sufficient quantities on its own. Analysts also point to the supply of components for rocket fuel: in 2024, China accounted for about 70 percent of russia's imports of ammonium perchlorate, a critical substance for the production of ballistic missiles.
In addition to missiles, there have also been active supplies of drone bodies, lithium batteries, and fiber optic cables needed to manufacture drones, which russia is massively using in its war against Ukraine. According to the Defense Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, cited by Defense Express, as of December 2025, the russian industry was producing about 50 9M723 missiles per month, and the total stockpile was estimated at about 200 units. For comparison, in the period from February 2022 to January 2023, russia produced only 36 of these missiles in total.
Thus, exports from China have directly contributed to a multiple increase in the production of missiles for the Iskander-M systems, which russia uses to strike Ukrainian cities and infrastructure. At the same time, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has officially denied any involvement of Beijing in helping russia produce ballistic missiles.
Recall that North Korea has sharply reduced its arms supplies to russia.
Who we are: About us, Contacts. How we write news and our principles: Editorial code. We did our best. If you found this valuable – please support us.
To request a correction, please send an email.