Chinese drone maker DJI asserts its products’ civilian use after Russian official calls them ‘symbol of modern warfare’

Russia’s embassy in China has deleted a post in Weibo that praised DJI’s drones for bringing ‘a real revolution’ to traditional artillery weapons

That post quoted Russian Army General Yuri Baluyevsky, who described the ‘pinpoint accuracy and efficiency’ of DJI’s Mavic quadcopter drones

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“The Mavic quadcopter drone made by China’s DJI has become a true symbol of modern warfare,” said Russian Army General Yuri Baluyevsky, who was cited in a Weibo post by Russia’s embassy in China. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 4:00pm, 15 Aug 2022Updated: 8:27pm, 15 Aug 2022

Shenzhen-based DJI Technology Co, the world’s largest maker of consumer drones, has rebuffed a social media post by Russia’s embassy in China that heaped praise on the alleged use of its products in modern warfare, months after the company denied accusations that its devices were deployed in military operations in Ukraine.

“All DJI products are designed for civilian purposes and cannot meet the requirements of military specifications,” DJI said in a statement posted on microblogging service Weibo on Saturday. “We do not support applications for military purposes.”

The response was triggered by the Russian embassy’s post on Weibo on Friday that cited a report from state media Sputnik about a new book by Army General Yuri Baluyevsky, the former Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. In his book, Baluyevsky said Chinese commercial drones have brought “a real revolution” to traditional artillery weapons.

When drones hover over a target area to guide the artillery, its pinpoint accuracy and efficiency are comparable to precision-guided missiles, according to the Russian embassy’s Weibo post quoting Baluyevsky. “The Mavic quadcopter drone made by China’s DJI has become a true symbol of modern warfare,” he said.

Ukrainian servicemen hold anti-drone guns on August 14, 2022, as they take part in a training exercise not far from the front line in the country’s Mykolayiv region amid Russia’s continued attack on Ukraine. Photo: Reuters

That post has been deleted by the Russian embassy, which did not reply to a request for comment on Monday.