Chinese drone company DJI suspends operations in Russia and Ukraine

Asia-Pacific, Europe, News April 28, 2022 , by IRIA No Comments

Chinese drone firm Da-Jiang Innovations also known as DJI Technology Co. has suspended business activities in Russia and Ukraine as the firm reassesses sales compliance efforts in response to tensions in Ukraine.

According to the statement released by the company, “DJI is internally reassessing compliance requirements in various jurisdictions. Pending the current review, DJI will temporarily suspend all business activities in Russia and Ukraine.”

The Chinese drone manufacturer DJI Technology, the world’s largest drone producer, has been the target of online attacks as Ukraine’s Vice Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov urged the company to halt its operations in Russia.

Ukraine’s vice prime minister posted on Twitter: “DJIGlobal are you sure you want to be a partner in these murders? Block your products that are helping Russia to kill the Ukrainians!”

The Ukrainian vice prime minister criticized DJI’s AeroScope system installed in DJI-made drones, which can detect and monitor other nearby drones and their operators through special receivers.

According to some reports, the Ukrainian military has also extensively used Chinese drones for reconnaissance during the conflict with Russia.

Ukrainian officials claimed that Russia is using the DJI system to guide its missiles and launch attacks on Ukraine. The Ukrainian side accused the Chinese drone company of leaking data on the Ukrainian military to Russia.

However, the DJI denied the claims that it had been leaking Ukrainian military information to Russia, calling the allegation “utterly false”.

*^{DJI, the world’s largest manufacturer of commercial drones, booth during an expo. (Image Credit: DJI Technology)}*

According to the DJI spokesman, the company has suspended business in Russia and Ukraine “not to make a statement about any country, but to make a statement about our principles”.

“DJI abhors any use of our drones to cause harm, and we are temporarily suspending sales in these countries in order to help ensure no one uses our drones in combat,” the company’s statement read.

“We have repeatedly reiterated that all DJI products are designed for civilian use and cannot meet military specifications. Remarks on overseas social media platforms accusing DJI of supporting war are completely false,” the company said in a statement.

The DJI statement stressed that the company “will never accept any use of our products to cause harm, and we will continue striving to improve the world with our work.”

Earlier in December last year, the United States Department of Treasury sanctioned the Chinese drone firm. Although the DJI Technology Co. is not publicly listed, it has banned the Americans from trading shares in the company.