The material provided reveals the structured and deliberate nature of Russia’s logistical and material support for FPV drone operations, highlighting a concerning reliance on Chinese components. The transparency in fundraising efforts demonstrates grassroots mobilization for resources, but it simultaneously exposes systematic dependence on foreign technology, particularly from China, to sustain military aggression.
Three separate “Cargo China” expenditures totaled over 748,500 rubles, underscoring a reliance on Chinese-sourced materials, including batteries, receivers, and other drone components, showing China’s role as a supplier and the absence of meaningful export controls or enforcement mechanisms from Beijing, which raises serious concerns about China’s indirect complicity in bolstering Russia’s war efforts.
FPV drones have become a cornerstone of Russia’s asymmetric warfare strategy, offering a cost-effective yet precise tool for military operations. The scale of funding and organization behind the “Moscow School of FPV Drone Operators” reflects a deliberate effort to institutionalize these capabilities. Russia relies heavily on Chinese imports, circumventing limitations in domestic production, enabling faster operational deployment. However, this dependence creates a critical vulnerability, as disrupting these supply chains could significantly undermine their capacity.
The appeal for public donations and grassroots crowdfunding disguises these efforts as civilian-led, fostering a sense of collective support for military objectives. However, the detailed expense reports and systematic procurement processes suggest a high degree of state coordination. The dual strategy allows Russia to obscure direct state involvement while leveraging civilian backing for what is effectively a military initiative.
The blatant use of public platforms such as Sberbank and Telegram for war financing and logistics planning demonstrates Russia’s defiance of global sanctions. The exploitation of international inaction highlights the need for stricter regulatory enforcement and better mechanisms to track and disrupt these financial flows.
The list of imported components, including specialized batteries, receivers, flight control stacks, and cooling systems, shows a sophisticated understanding of the technological requirements for FPV drone operations. The precision in these purchases indicates that they are not ad hoc but part of a broader, well-coordinated strategy. This dependence on imported technology further underscores the importance of targeting these supply chains as a critical point of intervention.
China’s role in facilitating the export of these components fundamentally undermines international sanctions, enabling Russia to enhance its military capacity.
Russia’s reliance on imported components introduces operational vulnerabilities, particularly regarding delays and potential chokepoints in its supply chains. Coordinated international efforts to monitor, block, or restrict the export of critical technologies could significantly degrade Russia’s ability to advance its FPV drone operations. The continued availability of these components, largely facilitated by Chinese suppliers, demands immediate international scrutiny and counteraction to prevent further support of Russia’s military aggression.
Below is the content:
Dear friends, the morning raid of enemy drones in the Moscow region once again reminded us that the enemy is in no hurry to surrender. And that he must be finished off in his lair. Therefore
I have come to you again to ask you to support our Moscow school of FPV drone operators.
As I already wrote, having delineated the areas of responsibility, I took under my wing the provision of consumables for the equipment for training cadets at the training ground. At the last meeting, we fell a little short of the required 900 thousand, and collected 628 thousand rubles. The main needs were certainly met, but the deteriorating weather conditions do not allow us to relax, it is obvious that the consumption of drones, remote controls and other consumables will increase, objectively. For now, the needs are met by personal reserves, but they will not last long.
Now, based on experience, we know that on average each set of cadets spends about 800-900 thousand rubles worth of materiel components. Based on this, we set the bar for this collection at 900 + 200 = 1.1 million rubles, taking into account the shortfall from last time. If we manage to collect more, it will go into reserve. Moreover, there would be a lot of things that would need to be purchased at the training ground, since it was supplied with the bare minimum.
At the moment there are 20 and 5 thousand rubles on the cards.
Moscow School of FPV Drone Operators:
https://t.me/sokol_FPV
Sber card
2202206927897921
+79786725970
Number for transfer via SBP (AB Russia)
Recipient Alexey V.
Also, whoever is ready to help by purchasing directly on marketplaces – Ozone, VB, Alika, you can write to the work PM, at the bottom of the post. Write there, indicate the available amount, the guys prepare a list of equipment with links, and the address of the pick-up point. After delivery, give the barcode, and the guys take it to work. An important remark, they often offer to take existing drones, equipment. But this is not compatible with safety requirements. Especially in connection with recent events in the Middle East, and precedents to send a “gift” to a St. Petersburg school. So, alas.
Let me remind you that there is still a need for sponsors who can regularly support the instructor staff, which I have already written about. From 20 thousand per month, in different ways, someone can employ them, or jointly pay a salary to a specific person, or something else. This is in the work PM @RusEngineerWork
I also remind you that there is an opportunity to make donations to a charity fund, which is convenient for legal entities, for example. About this, also in a personal message.
Russian Engineer –
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Dear friends, we would like to report on the expenses for the last school collection in November.
For your convenience, the report has been compiled into a Word file.
The total cost of the material base was:
OZONE: 72 675 ₽
Cargo China: 275,000 (+500 commission) ₽
Yandex Market: 30,280 ₽
Cargo China November 20: 327,500 (+500) ₽
Cargo China November 28: 146,000 (+1,000) ₽
Citylink: 34,710 ₽
Total: 888 165 ₽
OZONE
1. Gens Ace Tattu R-Line LiPO 22.2 V 2200 mAh 95C XT60 battery 15 pcs. x 4 845 ₽ – 72 675 ₽
Total OZONE: 72 675 ₽
Yandex Market
1. Arctic P14 PWM PST A-RGB case fans 3 pcs – 4 200 ₽
2. be quiet! CPU cooler Dark Rock Pro 5 1pc – 12,995 ₽
3. North Bayou NB F160+ desktop bracket for laptop and monitor (set) 1pc – 9,205 ₽
4. ZMI Valencia 25 (STV25 White) shelf, white 1pc – 3,880 ₽
Total Yandex Market: 30,280 ₽
Cargo China 1
1. GNB 2S battery 20 pcs. x 8,000 ₽ – 160,000 ₽
2. Flywoo ELRS EL24E receiver 20 pcs. x 4,000 ₽ – 80,000 ₽
3. Micro Razer FPV camera 10 pcs. x 3,500 ₽ – 35,000₽
Total Cargo China: 275,000 ₽
Cargo China 2
1. TBS receiver 20 pcs. x 1,375 ₽ – 27,500 ₽
2. Gens Ace Tattu R-Line LiPO 22.2 V 2200 battery 40 pcs. x 4 500 ₽ – 180 000 ₽
3. Skystars F405 50A stack 20 pcs. x 6 000 ₽ – 120 000 ₽
Total Cargo China 2: 327 500 ₽
Cargo China 3
1. FPV quadcopter frame Mark4 5 AIIIFPV AIII-FR-365 8 pcs. x 3 200 ₽ – 25 600 ₽
2. Frame 10″ 10 pcs. x 5 000 ₽ – 50 000 ₽
3. Motors 5″ 32 pcs. x 2,200 ₽ – 70,400 ₽
Total Cargo China 3: 146,000 ₽
Citylink
1. Motherboard MSI X670E GAMING PLUS WIFI, SocketAM5, AMD X670, ATX, Ret 1pc – 34,710 ₽
Citylink: 34,710 ₽
Total: 886,165 ₽
