Two optical cables between China and Russia
China has massively increased exports of fiber-optic cables to Russia, supplying hundreds of thousands of miles primarily for military and dual-use applications.
Scale of Exports
In 2025, China dramatically ramped up shipments of fiber-optic cables to Russia. In August alone, Russia received 328,000 miles (over 527,000 km) of fiber-optic cable, compared to just 72 miles sent to Ukraine during the same period, highlighting a stark disparity in supply . Earlier months also saw record shipments, with 119,000 miles in May and 130,000 miles in June . These cables are largely used in fiber-optic-controlled drones, which are resistant to electronic jamming and interception.
Purpose and Applications
The exported cables are primarily dual-use components. While officially civilian, they are heavily utilized in military applications, particularly for FPV (first-person view) drones. These drones operate via ultra-thin glass cables, allowing operators to control them over distances of up to 12–15 miles without relying on radio signals, making them immune to electronic warfare . This capability has given Russian forces a tactical advantage in Ukraine, enabling strikes on command centers, logistics lines, and jamming equipment behind front lines .
Strategic and Geopolitical Context
China maintains a declared neutral stance in the Russo-Ukrainian conflict but continues to supply components critical to Russian military operations. Many smaller Chinese manufacturers have filled the gap left by DJI, which halted direct sales to Russia and Ukraine in 2022 . These exports strengthen Russia's military-industrial capacity and reflect deepening China-Russia technological and economic cooperation, while raising concerns for the United States and EU regarding dual-use technology proliferation .
Summary
The two optical cables between China and Russia are part of a broader surge in fiber-optic exports, totaling hundreds of thousands of miles in 2025. They are primarily used for military-grade drone operations, providing Russia with a resilient, jamming-resistant communication link. This trade underscores the strategic partnership between China and Russia and highlights the role of dual-use technologies in modern conflicts .
Information Submarine Cable Map
TeleGeography''s comprehensive and regularly updated interactive map of the world''s major submarine cable systems
Information WP: China fuels Russia''s drone surge with fiber-optic exports
Despite official claims of neutrality, Chinese shipments of fibre-optic cables and lithium-ion batteries to Russia surged
Information Undersea Fiber-Optic Cables Need Stronger Defenses Against Russia
Ever since the US Navy slashed telegraph links between Spain and Cuba during the Spanish-American War, countries
Information Chinese Components for Russian Fiber-Optic Drones
This summer, China significantly increased its exports to Russia of fiber-optic cables and
Information How China and Russia could hobble the internet
In 2012 GCHQ, Britain''s signals-intelligence service, had tapped more than 200 fibre-optic cables carrying phone and
Information Mapping China-Russia Undersea Cable Routes
Undersea cable routes form the primary infrastructure for global telecommunications, enabling data transmission
Information WP: China sent Ukraine just 72 miles of fiber-optic drone cable—but
China has dramatically increased its shipments of fiber-optic cable and lithium-ion batteries to Russia, enabling a
Information January 29, 2025 China, Russia and Undersea Cable Vulnerability
The instinctive perception is that the primary threat to the cable network lies in direct attack on its physical structures. However, the
Information U.S. and China wage war beneath the waves
Subsea cables, which carry the world''s data, are now central to the U.S.-China tech war. Washington, fearful of
Information China Floods Russia With 328,000 Miles of Drone Cable While
The explosive growth in Chinese component exports to Russia—fiber-optic cable shipments jumped nearly tenfold
Information China sharply increased drone component exports to Russia since
Data from China''s customs service show a sharp rise in exports of cables and lithium-ion batteries this summer amid
Information Danish military says it staying close to Chinese ship
Denmark''s military said it was staying close to a Chinese ship, days after two fiber-optic
Information 2024 Baltic Sea submarine cable disruptions
On 17–18 November 2024, two submarine telecommunication cables, the BCS East-West Interlink and C-Lion1 fibre-optic cables,
Information The world''s first cross-border cable car will travel from Russia to
Traveling between Russia and China is about to get a lot more scenic. The world''s first cross-border cable car is
Information Explainer: Baltic Sea undersea cable cuts stoke geopolitical
The cutting of two undersea cables prompted warnings of "sabotage" and potential "hybrid" warfare in the West amid
Information Russia turns to Chinese optical fiber imports after Ukrainian strikes
Russia''s only domestic optical-fiber plant in Saransk has been offline since May 2025 after Ukrainian strikes. This
Information Where the China-Russia Partnership Is Headed in Seven Charts and
Beijing''s and Moscow''s relationship has strengthened militarily, economically, and diplomatically in the past two
Information CRINK Security Ties: Growing Cooperation, Anchored
This brief utilizes data to explore the strengths and limits of security cooperation among
Information How China is helping Russia produce fiber optic drones | Ukrainian
The sharp increase in exports of fiber-optic cables and lithium-ion batteries, among other drone components, shows
Information Fiber-optic communication
An optical fiber patching cabinet. The yellow cables are single-mode fibers; the orange and blue cables are multi-mode fibers:
Information China Supplied More Than 500 Thousand km of Fiber Optic Cable to
According to China''s customs service, a record 527,000 kilometers of fiber optic cable were shipped to Russia in
Information Chinese Supplies of Fiber Optic Cables Aid Russia''s Advanced Drone
China''s increased export of fiber-optic cables and lithium-ion batteries to Russia is helping Moscow expand the use of
Information Securing Asia''s Subsea Network: U.S. Interests and Strategic
This brief explores Asia''s evolving subsea cable network, explains why trusted cable networks are a key ingredient for
Information Undersea cable sabotages: Russia''s and China''s hybrid warfare strategy
GUGI units as part of Russia''s navy and directed by the Defense minister and the president, are key for conducting underwater cable
Information CO-DEPLOYMENT OF FIBRE OPTIC CABLES FOR CROSS
a Helsinki through the border with Russia to Saint Petersburg, Moscow, Kazan to the border with Kazakhstan, Mongolia and China.
Information White Paper on China International Optical Cable Interconnection
China''s international interactions, requirements on its networks'' ability to provide global services, and both opportunities and
Information Russian firm says Baltic telecoms cable was severed as Chinese ship
A Russian fiber optic cable under the Baltic Sea was completely severed last month when a Chinese container ship
Information PRC ramps up drone component shipments to Russia as fiber-optic
There is strong evidence that China is supplying batteries and fiber optic cables used by Russian drone forces. As