Chinese drone-maker DJI suspends ops in Russia, Ukraine
(2022/04/27)
- Reference: 1651047313
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2022/04/27/dji_suspends_russia_and_ukraine/
- Source link:
In a first for a major Chinese tech company, drone-maker DJI Technologies announced on Tuesday that it will temporarily suspend business in both Russia and Ukraine.
"DJI is internally reassessing compliance requirements in various jurisdictions. Pending the current review, DJI will temporarily suspend all business activities in Russia and Ukraine. We are engaging with customers, partners and other stakeholders regarding the temporary suspension of business operations in the affected territories," [1]declared DJI in a canned statement.
Last week the company issued another [2]statement clarifying that it did not market or sell its products for military use and "unequivocally opposed attempts to attach weapons to [its] products." DJI also said it "refused to customize or enable modifications that would enable [its] products for military use."
[3]
"We want to reiterate a position we have long held: our products are made to improve people's lives and benefit the world, and we absolutely deplore any use of our products to cause harm. DJI has only ever made products for civilian use; they are not designed for military applications," insisted DJI.
[4]
[5]
The company said it would terminate business relationships with any distributor, reseller or business partner that sells its products to customers intending to use them for military purposes.
[6]UK Cyber Security Centre advises review of risk posed by Russian tech
[7]Meet Moeco, Ukrainian-led biz using IoT trackers to follow supplies into invaded land
[8]DJI drones: 'Cyber vulnerabilities' prompt blanket US Army ban
[9]Dog forgets all about risk of drowning in a marsh as soon as drone dangles a sausage
Ukraine's vice prime minister Mukailo Fedorov last month tweeted that Russian forces had used DJI products to navigate missiles and murder Ukrainians.
In 21 days of the war, russian troops has already killed 100 Ukrainian children. they are using DJI products in order to navigate their missile. [10]@DJIGlobal are you sure you want to be a partner in these murders? Block your products that are helping russia to kill the Ukrainians! [11]pic.twitter.com/4HJcTXFxoY — Mykhailo Fedorov (@FedorovMykhailo) [12]March 16, 2022
The above tweet was not referring to drones themselves, but rather DJI's [13]AeroScope drone detection platform. The product identifies UAV communication links to understand drone behavior and paths, and could potentially reveal the location of a drone pilot.
DJI did [14]respond , to Mykhailo, eschewing any responsibility for misuse and stating that the AeroScope functionality in its drones cannot be disabled.
Ukrainian users [15]reported in early March that AeroScope was no longer available within the nation's borders, but the product continued running in Russia. The reports led to DJI denying allegations it aided Russia's military last month.
[16]
While Ukraine does have military grade UAVs like the Bayraktar TB2, civilians have been known to use low-end drones to record Russian [17]war crimes and to [18]counterattack Russian forces.
Russia is also a known drone user in pursuit of its military goals, but relies on military-spec kit rather than DJI's prosumer-grade products.
For example, Forbes [19]reported Russia is partial to the Orlan-10 – assigning the military-grade $100,000-ish apiece drones designed for the Russian Armed Forces to artillery units.
[20]
DJI's decision to exit the territory is notable because Beijing and Moscow recently announced a renewed and deeper partnership. Chinese government officials have been reluctant to make any allegations against or criticisms of Russia, nor take any sides in the war. The Washington Post [21]reported in February that DJI and Beijing were very close, with DJI receiving funding from several Chinese state-backed investors.
DJI is on the US Entity List, meaning it has been [22]cut off from access to US tech and American forces are banned from using its products. The US has also [23]forbidden investment in the company, citing DJI's involvement with human rights abuses in Xinjiang.
While the drone company is the first major Chinese company to suspend sales to Russia and Ukraine, fellow sanctioned Chinese product manufacturer Huawei [24]furloughed its staff and stopped taking orders in Russia earlier this month. Huawei, however, continued to run job postings in the region – signalling either an HR error or an intention to resume Russian operations. ®
Get our [25]Tech Resources
[1] https://www.dji.com/sg/newsroom/news/dji-statement-on-sales-compliance-efforts
[2] https://www.dji.com/sg/newsroom/news/dji-statement-on-military-use-of-drones
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2YmkUTV@L9ZRfD4p3BrOv4gAAAQA&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YmkUTV@L9ZRfD4p3BrOv4gAAAQA&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33YmkUTV@L9ZRfD4p3BrOv4gAAAQA&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2022/03/30/uk_ncsc_russia_tech_advice/
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2022/04/27/ukranian_iot_sensors/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2017/08/04/apparent_us_army_memo_bans_dji_drones/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2022/01/21/sausage_drone_rescues_dog/
[10] https://twitter.com/DJIGlobal?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[11] https://t.co/4HJcTXFxoY
[12] https://twitter.com/FedorovMykhailo/status/1504068644195733504?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[13] https://www.dji.com/sg/aeroscope?site=brandsite&from=insite_search
[14] https://twitter.com/DJIGlobal/status/1504206884240183297
[15] https://www.theregister.com/2022/03/29/dji_denies_aiding_russia/
[16] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YmkUTV@L9ZRfD4p3BrOv4gAAAQA&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[17] https://edition.cnn.com/2022/04/06/europe/ukraine-drone-operators-alleged-russian-crimes-intl/index.html
[18] https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/28/the-drone-operators-who-halted-the-russian-armoured-vehicles-heading-for-kyiv
[19] https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidhambling/2022/04/11/russias-deadly-artillery-drones-have-a-strange-secret/?sh=491761ef779d
[20] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33YmkUTV@L9ZRfD4p3BrOv4gAAAQA&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[21] https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2022/02/01/china-funding-drones-dji-us-regulators/
[22] https://www.theregister.com/2017/08/04/apparent_us_army_memo_bans_dji_drones/
[23] https://www.theregister.com/2021/12/17/usa_bars_investment_in_eight_chinese_tech_companies/
[24] https://www.theregister.com/2022/04/13/huawei_may_quit_russia/
[25] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
"DJI is internally reassessing compliance requirements in various jurisdictions. Pending the current review, DJI will temporarily suspend all business activities in Russia and Ukraine. We are engaging with customers, partners and other stakeholders regarding the temporary suspension of business operations in the affected territories," [1]declared DJI in a canned statement.
Last week the company issued another [2]statement clarifying that it did not market or sell its products for military use and "unequivocally opposed attempts to attach weapons to [its] products." DJI also said it "refused to customize or enable modifications that would enable [its] products for military use."
[3]
"We want to reiterate a position we have long held: our products are made to improve people's lives and benefit the world, and we absolutely deplore any use of our products to cause harm. DJI has only ever made products for civilian use; they are not designed for military applications," insisted DJI.
[4]
[5]
The company said it would terminate business relationships with any distributor, reseller or business partner that sells its products to customers intending to use them for military purposes.
[6]UK Cyber Security Centre advises review of risk posed by Russian tech
[7]Meet Moeco, Ukrainian-led biz using IoT trackers to follow supplies into invaded land
[8]DJI drones: 'Cyber vulnerabilities' prompt blanket US Army ban
[9]Dog forgets all about risk of drowning in a marsh as soon as drone dangles a sausage
Ukraine's vice prime minister Mukailo Fedorov last month tweeted that Russian forces had used DJI products to navigate missiles and murder Ukrainians.
In 21 days of the war, russian troops has already killed 100 Ukrainian children. they are using DJI products in order to navigate their missile. [10]@DJIGlobal are you sure you want to be a partner in these murders? Block your products that are helping russia to kill the Ukrainians! [11]pic.twitter.com/4HJcTXFxoY — Mykhailo Fedorov (@FedorovMykhailo) [12]March 16, 2022
The above tweet was not referring to drones themselves, but rather DJI's [13]AeroScope drone detection platform. The product identifies UAV communication links to understand drone behavior and paths, and could potentially reveal the location of a drone pilot.
DJI did [14]respond , to Mykhailo, eschewing any responsibility for misuse and stating that the AeroScope functionality in its drones cannot be disabled.
Ukrainian users [15]reported in early March that AeroScope was no longer available within the nation's borders, but the product continued running in Russia. The reports led to DJI denying allegations it aided Russia's military last month.
[16]
While Ukraine does have military grade UAVs like the Bayraktar TB2, civilians have been known to use low-end drones to record Russian [17]war crimes and to [18]counterattack Russian forces.
Russia is also a known drone user in pursuit of its military goals, but relies on military-spec kit rather than DJI's prosumer-grade products.
For example, Forbes [19]reported Russia is partial to the Orlan-10 – assigning the military-grade $100,000-ish apiece drones designed for the Russian Armed Forces to artillery units.
[20]
DJI's decision to exit the territory is notable because Beijing and Moscow recently announced a renewed and deeper partnership. Chinese government officials have been reluctant to make any allegations against or criticisms of Russia, nor take any sides in the war. The Washington Post [21]reported in February that DJI and Beijing were very close, with DJI receiving funding from several Chinese state-backed investors.
DJI is on the US Entity List, meaning it has been [22]cut off from access to US tech and American forces are banned from using its products. The US has also [23]forbidden investment in the company, citing DJI's involvement with human rights abuses in Xinjiang.
While the drone company is the first major Chinese company to suspend sales to Russia and Ukraine, fellow sanctioned Chinese product manufacturer Huawei [24]furloughed its staff and stopped taking orders in Russia earlier this month. Huawei, however, continued to run job postings in the region – signalling either an HR error or an intention to resume Russian operations. ®
Get our [25]Tech Resources
[1] https://www.dji.com/sg/newsroom/news/dji-statement-on-sales-compliance-efforts
[2] https://www.dji.com/sg/newsroom/news/dji-statement-on-military-use-of-drones
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2YmkUTV@L9ZRfD4p3BrOv4gAAAQA&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YmkUTV@L9ZRfD4p3BrOv4gAAAQA&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33YmkUTV@L9ZRfD4p3BrOv4gAAAQA&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2022/03/30/uk_ncsc_russia_tech_advice/
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2022/04/27/ukranian_iot_sensors/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2017/08/04/apparent_us_army_memo_bans_dji_drones/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2022/01/21/sausage_drone_rescues_dog/
[10] https://twitter.com/DJIGlobal?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[11] https://t.co/4HJcTXFxoY
[12] https://twitter.com/FedorovMykhailo/status/1504068644195733504?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[13] https://www.dji.com/sg/aeroscope?site=brandsite&from=insite_search
[14] https://twitter.com/DJIGlobal/status/1504206884240183297
[15] https://www.theregister.com/2022/03/29/dji_denies_aiding_russia/
[16] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YmkUTV@L9ZRfD4p3BrOv4gAAAQA&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[17] https://edition.cnn.com/2022/04/06/europe/ukraine-drone-operators-alleged-russian-crimes-intl/index.html
[18] https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/28/the-drone-operators-who-halted-the-russian-armoured-vehicles-heading-for-kyiv
[19] https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidhambling/2022/04/11/russias-deadly-artillery-drones-have-a-strange-secret/?sh=491761ef779d
[20] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33YmkUTV@L9ZRfD4p3BrOv4gAAAQA&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[21] https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2022/02/01/china-funding-drones-dji-us-regulators/
[22] https://www.theregister.com/2017/08/04/apparent_us_army_memo_bans_dji_drones/
[23] https://www.theregister.com/2021/12/17/usa_bars_investment_in_eight_chinese_tech_companies/
[24] https://www.theregister.com/2022/04/13/huawei_may_quit_russia/
[25] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
SkippyBing
There are military applications and military applications. i.e. using a drone to observe the fall of artillery is at one end of the spectrum, using one to check for missing tiles on the roof of an accommodation block is another.
DJI doesn't design its products to do the former, the US Armed Forces are banned from using them for the latter.
so,
Anonymous Coward
The Ukrainians were actually the ones using DGI drones, and the Russians using DGI drone detection systems. the response from DGI seems a sensible answer. How long before Zelinskey cries about it and demands more?
I wonder if they can disable both remotely?
Re: so,
Jellied Eel
Both countries have been strong in aerospace, so neither really need DJI other to order pallets of replacement drones. Other conflicts have shown parties have been quite capable of converting RC or open source drone projects into UAVs.
I guess DJI is a bit resistant to unauthorised modding via it's encryption, so you can't simply transplant it's brain into a body with more power, bigger motors and rotors.
DJI has only ever made products for civilian use; they are not designed for military applications," insisted DJI.
American forces are banned from using its products.
I'm seeing something of a disconnect here...