To ensure that its products will not be used in combat, Chinese Drone Company DJI announced that it will temporarily suspend business activities in Russia and Ukraine.
DJI is the first major Chinese firm to suspend sales in Russia after the country started its invasion of Ukraine in February.
The drone giant already said that Ukrainian officials and citizens' allegations that they are leaking data on the Ukrainian military to Russia as "utterly false."
The move of DJI comes a month after Ukrainian politician Mykhailo Fedorov called on DJI to stop selling its products in Russia.
The country's Minister of Digital Transformation used Twitter to call the attention of DJI to say that Russia is using DJI products to navigate its missiles "to kill civilians." He also said that the superpower is using an extended form of DJI's AeroScope drone detection platform to collect flight combat information.
DJI's Decision To Halt Operations — a 'Statement About Principles'
A report from Reuters said that on Wednesday, a DJI spokesperson emphasized that the Chinese company's suspension of business in Russia and Ukraine was "not to make a statement about any country but to make a statement about our principles".
"DJI abhors any use of our drones to cause harm, and we are temporarily suspending sales in these countries in order to help ensure no-one uses our drones in combat," said the representative.
But before that, in line with Beijing's stance of refraining from criticism of Moscow over the conflict, DJI continued doing business with Russia in contrast to what many Western firms did. These Western firms have pulled out of Russia to protest its invasion of Ukraine
DJI was also made aware of footage online that suggested the Russian military was using its products.
However, the company said they had no control over who uses their products and they had not been able to confirm the footage online.
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DJI Caught Amidst Russia-Ukraine Conflict
The Russia-Ukraine conflict has put DJI in a bind. Continued operation in Russia has drawn international criticism, but withdrawing would risk a backlash from the Chinese public, according to Reuters.
As per Reuters' report, Russia calls its actions in Ukraine a "special operation" to disarm Ukraine and protect it from fascists. On the other hand, Ukraine and the West say Russia's reason is only a false pretext for an unprovoked war of aggression.
According to Engadget, DJI already issued a statement to condemn the use of its products to cause harm.
DJI stated that it does not market or sell its products for military use and that its distributors have all agreed not to sell products to customers who'll clearly use them for military purposes.
"We will never accept any use of our products to cause harm, and we will continue striving to improve the world with our work," DJI said in defense of the allegations.
Meanwhile, other Chinese firms are also stuck with the same dilemma.
After domestic social media users accused ride-hailing giant Didi Global (DIDI.N) of succumbing to U.S. pressure, it reversed its decision to leave Russia and Kazakhstan in February.
Telecom equipment maker Huawei Technologies (HWT.UL) is also under scrutiny over whether it plans to stay in Russia.
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