Recently, official reports have increasingly been made about Russian reconnaissance drones flying deep behind the Ukrainian troops and using them to target critical infrastructure facilities about 100 kilometers from the front line. Almost every day, the Ukrainian Air Force reports the shooting down of Russian Orlan drones, which have become more brazen and "hang" over Ukrainian territories for hours.

The Laboratory of Research and Information Analysis "LABRIA" is launching a series of video stories about Russian companies that manufacture drones, weapons, and the use of schemes for the reimport of prohibited goods. In the first story, we will look at the production of the Orlan drone, the use of imported components, and which companies help Russia circumvent sanctions by organizing reimport schemes. 

Russian unmanned aerial vehicle complex "Orlan"

The multi-purpose unmanned aerial vehicle complex "Orlan" has been manufactured by the Russian private company "Special Technology Center" in St. Petersburg since 2014. Among the declared characteristics:

maximum speed up to 150 km/h;

flight duration – up to 14 hours;

flight range taking into account the possibilities of communication with the base station – up to 150 km;

maximum flight altitude – up to 6000 m.

The Orlan drones were created as reconnaissance drones, but later various modifications appeared. In addition to aerial reconnaissance and targeting of weapons, they can conduct electronic warfare, block mobile networks in certain areas, detect Ukrainian air defense positions, and recently they have been equipped with devices for dropping ammunition, which turned the Orlan drone complex into a strike drone.

The Ukrainian military has repeatedly emphasized the danger posed by the Orlan drones. Especially because of its maximum flight altitude, which complicates the work of Ukrainian air defense. In addition, the widespread use of imported dual-purpose components allows for the mass production of Orlans even under sanctions restrictions. In the summer of 2023, former Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that the supply of Orlan-10 and Orlan-30 unmanned systems to the Russian troops had increased 53 times. These statistics are difficult to verify, but the order of the numbers indicates the importance of this unmanned system for the Russian group in Ukraine.

It is worth recalling that the United States added the Special Technology Center to the "black list" back in 2017. The sanctions were extended in 2024. However, the company continues to produce Orlan drones even with restrictions on Western technologies. In 2022, boards, microprocessors, and optics from American, French, Swiss, and Taiwanese companies were found in the Ukrainian military samples of Orlans. Some media outlets suggested that Russians were massively buying up household appliances, from which they were soldering the necessary elements for the production of drones. There were also reports of Russians stealing traffic control cameras in Sweden, the optics of which later appeared in Russian Orlans. But these reports were not officially confirmed.

At the same time, Roman Agafonnikov, CEO of STC LLC, admitted in an interview with Russian publications that many Orlan components are imported. They seem to have managed to replace Western technologies, but only the engines are supplied to them by "friendly countries".

In fact, Russia has not been able to establish its own microelectronics production and is forced to build schemes for purchasing foreign components through various bypass channels, which are occasionally discovered by investigative journalists and blocked by Western countries.

A network of Russian companies and their partners

Officially, the production of Orlan unmanned systems is carried out by the Russian LLC Special Technological Center (TIN 7802170553). Since 2023, the management and founders of STC have been hidden in Russian registers, but we have managed to identify individuals involved in the company. Its general director is St. Petersburg resident Roman Dmitrievich Agafonnikov, and the founders are a group of Russian scientists Solomatin Alexander Alexandrovich, Terentyev Alexey Vasilyevich, Khanov Eduard Borisovich, Ivanov Roman Vyacheslavovich, Tsarik Dmitry Vladimirovich, Balashov Boris Valentinovich and Shishkov Vyacheslav Alexandrovich.

A group of affiliated companies has been created in the "STC" orbit, including: LLC "VEGA", LLC "Spektr", LLC NPP "NTT", LLC "TAIP", LLC "SMT-Ailogic", LLC "NIT" and JSC "Radiocontrol Technologies". Among the founders of each of them were or are the founders of the STC. Moreover, the most fortunate was the general designer of the unmanned complex "Orlan" Ivanov Roman, who became one of the founders of five companies at once. The deputy general director of the STC, Khanov Eduard Borisovich, got a share in nine companies. Terentyev Alexey Vasilyevich and Tsarik Oleg Vladimirovich, and Balashov Boris Valentinovich - seven. In addition, the general director of the STC Roman Agafonnikov, in the traditions of the business elite of Russia, did not forget about his family. Under his patronage, one of the key companies, TAIP LLC, was headed by his father, Dmitry Anatolyevich Agafonnikov. 

Of the number of mentioned enterprises, TAIP LLC, SMT-Ailogic LLC, and Radiocontrol Technologies JSC were used to organize the purchase of imported dual-use components, including from countries where sanctions have been imposed against a number of Russian defense industry companies for unleashing armed aggression against Ukraine. Various procurement schemes were used - direct import of products from Chinese, Indian and Korean manufacturers, as well as hidden re-import from Western countries through shell companies in Serbia, Turkey and Kyrgyzstan.

Suppliers of imported components for the "STC"

In particular, in 2023, TAIP LLC purchased optical thermal imaging cameras, navigation sensors and transistors from the Chinese-registered company BEIJING MOFCO IMPORT AND EXPORT CO. LTD. A total of 300 cameras from the Chinese manufacturer VIEWPRO were purchased for a total amount of almost 2.8 million US dollars. JSC "Radio Control Technologies" also purchased from the Chinese company NINGHAI JIAOER IMPORT AND EXPORT CO., LTD fans for cooling processors, casings, tubes, coaxial cables and nuts for a total amount of almost 356 thousand US dollars.

The key enterprise that ensures the supply of imported microelectronics elements for "STC" is LLC "SMT-Ailogic", which purchased Chinese, Indian, Korean microprocessor products from companies.

Chinese suppliers of LLC "SMT-Ailogic":

CHENGDU KEYLINK WIRELESS TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD (China) - integrated circuits of its own production;

GUANGZHOU AUSAY TECHNOLOGY CO LIMITED (China) – in addition to its own products, supplied microcircuits of well-known manufacturers: «Micron Сorporation», «Samsung Electronics», «Intel», «E-Switch», «Nvent Schroff», «Jst», «Hk Rms Materials Technology», «Mechatronics Fan Group», «Asustek Computer Inc».

M STAR INTERNATIONAL TRADING CO., LTD (China) – supplied boards and microprocessor units of the following manufacturers: «SILICON LABORATORIES», «ANALOG DEVICES INC», «TYCO ELECTRONICS TECHNOLOGY», «QORVO», «MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY INCORPORATED», «VICOR CORPORATION», «MINI-CIRCUITS», «XILINX INC», «JST SALES AMERICA».

V AND P POWER SYSTEMS LIMITED (China) – supplied integrated circuits of the companies «AVX», «LINEAR», «ADI», «INFINEON», «PSEMI», «ADI», «SILICON».

HPK INTERNATIONAL TRADE SHAANXI CO., LTD. (China) – supplied power amplifiers, parts of satellite antennas and accessories for them.

XINGHUA CO., LIMITED (China, sanctions) – computer blocks of the Taiwanese manufacturer IEI TECHNOLOGY.

YILUFA ELECTRONICS LTD (China, sanctions) – integrated circuits manufactured by ANALOG DEVICES INC.

M AND S TRADING (China, sanctions) – in addition to integrated circuits, it supplied 320 gasoline internal combustion engines with a volume of 30.5 cm3 (2.72 kW) important for the production of "Orlan". It was about them that the CEO Roman Agafonnikov mentioned in an interview, speaking about the supply of "friendly countries".

Indian suppliers of LLC "SMT-Ailogic":

FUTREVO (India) - antenna filters from the Korean manufacturer ECHO MICROWAVE CO., LTD, 3650 units of mini servo motors from the Chinese manufacturer SICHUAN HONGJUN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY and signal generators from the German company ROHDE & SCHWARZ GMBH & CO. KG.

M&R ENTERPRISES (India) – integrated circuits on VISHAY, STMICROELECTRONICS, MICROCHIP, TEXAS INSTRUMENTS, ADI, ABRAOCN, MINI, ST, ALTERA and RENESAS.

THEORAX DYNAMICS PVT.LTD. (India) – supplied 428 units of integrated circuits and boards with a graphical interface of the companies GUMSTIX INC and ANALOG DEVICES.

Deliveries through companies in Turkey, Kyrgyzstan and Serbia

Schemes involving logistics companies in countries friendly to Russia deserve special attention. Especially where the founders are Russian citizens. An example is Nord Logistics in Kyrgyzstan. It was founded in 2022 by Russian Dmitry Anatolyevich Parfyonov. The Kyrgyz government registers indicate that NORD LOGISTICS is a company with foreign shares.

In October 2023, the specified company delivered 180 monolithic integrated circuits manufactured by the American company XILINX to Russia. With a high degree of probability, these are processors used in the navigation system of the Orlan drone.  They were the ones that the Ukrainian military found in the received copies of the drones. The total amount of goods supplied by NORD LOGISTICS reaches 800 million dollars.

To import imported components under a similar scheme, companies in Serbia - CONEX D.O.O. BEOGRAD-STARI GRAD and Turkey - DAGDAN TEKNOLOJI and MARGIANA INSAAT were involved. The purchase and delivery were carried out through the specified companies, although the delivery was carried out through Chinese airports.

The companies DAGDAN TEKNOLOJI VE DIS TICARET SANAYI LIMITED SIRKETI (Turkey) and MARGIANA INSAAT DIS TICARET LIMITED SIRKETI (Turkey, under US sanctions) delivered integrated circuits, low-pass filters and precision miniature measuring units from ANALOG DEVICES INC and MINI-CIRCUITS to Russia. It is worth noting that MARGIANA INSAAT DIS TICARET LIMITED SIRKETI was already under sanctions, but continued to ship goods.

The same function was performed by the Serbian company CONEX D.O.O. BEOGRAD-STARI GRAD (Serbia, the company is under EU sanctions), owned by Aleksandar Ivanović. The country's trade register indicates that the company is engaged in consulting. At the same time, historical references have established that Aleksandar Ivanović was also the owner of the Serbian company ELEKTRO CONCEPT DOO VALJEVO, which until 2024 was engaged in the trade of household electrical appliances.

Delivery routes

Analysis of bank documents and customs notifications from various countries indicates that all dual-use goods for the production of Orlan drones are delivered by air via the airports of Moscow (Khimki) and St. Petersburg from the airports of China, India, South Korea and the UAE.

A significant moment is the fact that even Turkish, Serbian and Kyrgyz companies deliver products through Chinese ports. In fact, consignments of goods needed by Russia are assembled in China, which are then sent by air to the "STC".

Conclusions:

Some of the companies mentioned in the investigation have been under sanctions for a long time for assisting Russia in the production of "Orlan" drones, which are used for aggression against Ukraine. At the same time, there are Chinese, Indian, Kyrgyz, Turkish and Serbian companies that continue to provide assistance to the Russian "STC" in organizing reimports, which gives rise to Russia's desire to increase weapons production and, in the future, use it not only against Ukraine, but also the countries of Eastern Europe, either directly or through proxy forces in different parts of the world.