Chinese drone maker DJI has confirmed to The Verge that it is halting all shipments of its products to both Russia and Ukraine and will no longer provide aftersales support because it’s worried about its products being used for combat purposes during Russia’s invasion.
It’s the first concrete action China’s DJI has taken to address the war after Ukraine Vice Prime Minister Mykhailo Federov accused the company of helping Russia kill Ukrainian civilians in a roundabout fashion (by using DJI’s AeroScope drone detection system to target Ukrainian pilots on the ground, something DJI apparently never anticipated). Both countries are using DJI drones for reconnaissance, and we’ve seen reports of Ukraine turning some of them into makeshift weapons.
In late March, DJI told The Verge that it had not stopped sales in Russia or Ukraine and didn’t intend to, despite the hundreds of other companies that had withdrawn from Russia in protest. “For 15 years, DJI has tried our best to stay out of geopolitics,” spokesperson Adam Lisberg told us. But Reuters reported today that DJI has decided to halt all sales to both countries, maintaining a neutral stance, and while DJI isn’t actually in charge of sales in those regions (existing products may continue to be sold), the company confirms that shipments and support will cease
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