TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A Ukrainian activist apologized Monday for accusing a Taiwanese company of selling components to Russia for bombs and drones after uncovering evidence that Chinese firms posed as the Taiwanese brand to evade sanctions. 

On Friday, Ukrainian activist Vadim Labas claimed on his Facebook page that a Taiwanese company named TRC (Taiwan Rung Cherng Suspenparts) had sold servomechanisms to Russia to enhance the performance of its glide bombs. However, on Monday, Labas said that following collaboration with Ukrainians living in Taiwan and Taiwanese, a double rebranding scheme by Chinese companies was uncovered and apologized to TRC for not taking it into account, according to Militarnyi.

Labas' team identified the manufacturer as KST Digital Technology Limited based in China's Guangdong Province. The investigation uncovered that the HS20 servo drive, a core component of the Russian military's unified gliding and correction module (UMPK) used in glide bombs, was produced by KST. 

To evade sanctions, Labas alleges that KST designed an intricate rebranding scheme. Servos produced by KST were first sold to what he called a Chinese “fake manufacturer" called Kaifeng Zhendaqian Technology Co., Ltd. (KZT). 

These products were then sold to a different Chinese company, Unihui International Limited, and rebranded under the TRC name. Another Chinese proxy company, Shenzhen Biosen Bio-Tech, then transferred the servos to two Russian proxy companies, Omni Trade and Dymir Trade.

Dymir Trade was established as what Labas called a clone of Dymir, which was already sanctioned.

These servos were ultimately delivered to TRV-Engineering, a company responsible for procuring military supplies for the Russian defense contractor Tactical Missile Arms Corporation, both of which are under Western sanctions. Labas said this is the first time he had seen such a complex double rebranding scheme, but has since found that the TRC brand is being similarly forged for other components acquired by the Russian military. 

On Monday, Rung Cherng Suspenparts Vice President Chen Shu-mei (陳淑鎂) told CNA that "TRC" on the company's official website is simply an abbreviation of its English name. Chen said Rung Cherng Suspenparts primarily manufactures automotive chassis components and key parts for suspension systems.

Chen expressed surprise and confusion regarding the foreign media allegations and social media users' claims. "Rung Cherng Suspenparts does not manufacture traction control systems at all," Chen explained.

Chen described the reports from foreign media implicating the firm as “a complete case of mistaken identity and utterly ridiculous.” Chen added that starting in December 2024, the company received four to five harshly worded emails from Ukraine accusing it of selling products to Russia for military use. 

Chen stressed that Rung Cherng Suspenparts strictly complies with international standards and government regulations. Chen said the company does not rule out taking legal action against these false accusations to protect its reputation and interests.