The Black Mirror hacker collective has released the second instalment of confidential files allegedly belonging to Russia’s state defence conglomerate, ROSTEC.

The leak, published on 8 October, comprised over 300 documents containing internal correspondence, technical dossiers, and classified trade data revealing the corporation’s covert dealings and international collaborations.

Among the most striking revelations is a memorandum addressed to ROSTEC’s Chief Executive Officer, Sergei Chemezov—an influential Kremlin figure and long time associate of President Vladimir Putin from their KGB days in East Germany.

The document outlines a proposal to deepen links with “a group of companies from the People’s Republic of China” to collaborate on the design, production, and distribution of advanced electronic warfare (EW) systems.

Though unnamed, the Chinese group reportedly includes a manufacturing enterprise, a logistics provider, an insurance firm, and a specialised research institute engaged in cutting-edge EW technology development.

The leaked files further indicate that several Chinese-made systems were field-tested during Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine, with Chinese experts allegedly tasked to devise solutions capable of detecting drones transmitting via 4G networks and countering the Starlink satellite communication system—an asset extensively utilised by Ukrainian forces.

Another document discloses that ROSTEC personnel established what appears to be an intelligence conduit for acquiring proprietary information about China’s electronic component base, effectively amounting to industrial espionage. The Black Mirror group described this as “a successful operation of technical intelligence gathering” against an ostensible ally.

The archive also contains details of ROSTEC’s international contracts, including service and supply agreements involving Ka-28 anti-submarine helicopters and Su-34E fighter aircraft for unidentified foreign customers.

A confidential memorandum from Russian Helicopters JSC proposed streamlining global supply logistics by establishing a centralised parts warehouse in the United Arab Emirates. The company justified the location citing the UAE’s advanced transport networks and favourable tax and customs conditions, intended to mitigate delays exacerbated by Western sanctions.

The release follows an earlier leak on 2 October, which detailed ROSTEC’s sanction evasion strategies, sensitive pricing data for military exports, and alternative trade networks.

Collectively, these disclosures offer an unprecedented glimpse into Russia’s sanctioned defence-industrial operations and its increasingly opaque technological cooperation with China in the post-Ukraine war era.

Agencies