Volnov recently managed to connect to a Zoom meeting chaired by Russia’s Ministry of Industry and Trade, where drone manufacturers were conferring with government officials. A recording of the meeting Volnov accessed went viral on Ukrainian social media. Volnov said the participants appeared to be decision-makers trying to accelerate the development of Russian drone industry.
Volnov said the meeting covered drones of various sizes and that Russian manufacturers were trying to build a copy of the Vampir drone.
"They’re trying to make an analog of our Vampir, calling it Leshiy, but it’s now working for them," he said.
"I don’t understand why. It’s not rocket science, but maybe they lack personnel or don’t understand how it works."
He said the meeting also focused on increasing the share of domestic components in the supply chain, since state contracts are awarded more readily to domestic producers.
Volnov said participants even complained they lacked copper wire suitable for drone production. He suggested that, while copper is produced in Russia, the locally available wire may not meet the specifications needed by drone makers.
His main conclusion: Russia remains critically dependent on supplies from China.
"If global political pressure forces China to stop
selling certain components to Russia, then they will have no capability to send
drones at us," Volnov said.