MediaWorld he decided to stop selling Of drones DJI in their stores, after the company refused a request from the Ukrainian government. A refusal that DJI nevertheless motivated. What exactly is going on?
MediaWorld boycots DJI’s drones after Kyiv’s denied requests
The decision comes first from the German parent company, but also MediaWorld Italia immediately received it. Online and in stores you cannot find DJI products, which in recent years has made photographic drones affordable for everyone, with many sales in Italy and beyond. The decision is not economic but political: it is a question of a boycott linked to the conflict in Ukraine.
In fact, the government of Kyiv in recent days has asked DJI, a Chinese company, to block the drones by the Russian army. In fact, according to what the Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister reported Mykhailo Fedorov, Moscow would be driving the missile attacks using DJI-built drones. And he did it in loud tones: “In 21 days of war, Russian troops have already killed 100 Ukrainian children. They are using DJI products to guide their missiles. DJI do you really want to be partners with these killers? Stop the products that are helping Russia to kill Ukrainians ”.
Fedorov he also wrote a letter directly to Frank Wang |, the founder and CEO of DJI. In the letter he asks the founder of the company for help defuse Russian drones. But also to prevent the same from happening to the DJI drones that the Ukrainian army is also using. Precisely because they are less expensive than military drones.
MediaWorld’s answer
After these statements, many users on social media have contested the Chinese company. Which also prompted MediaWorld to take a drastic decision.
MediaWorld then he communicated: “In recent days we have learned from various sources that the Russian military is using products and data from the Chinese drone supplier DJI for military activities in Ukraine. As a responsible company, we have taken immediate action and removed the manufacturer from our group-wide product range until further notice. We will follow further developments closely. With this action, we as a company are sending a clear signal about the values that have the highest priority for us and that we see being attacked in an unacceptable way by Russia’s aggressive war against Ukraine. “
Private video drones used for war purposes
DJI does not produce military products, it has not directly fed the Russian or Ukrainian military. But both find it convenient to use drones for short-range reconnaissance, using the 4K video cameras to identify targets and GPS coordinates to hit military targets.
I’m less expensive and bulky than most military drones, they therefore have a valuable strategic advantage. So much so that several associations (including the Skylum photo retouching company) asked for help from those who own DJI drones, to donate them to the Ukrainian army.
Fedorov asked DJI to block the drones bought in Russia, Lebanon and Syria. Something that would be technically possible with the service of Aeroscope, the proprietary navigation system of DJI drones. The manufacturer’s website reads: “What makes the Aeroscope system unique is the possibility of identifying the position of the pilot ai controls of the identified drone. This fundamental data allows us to concentrate investigations and intervention directly where we have control of the drone. This opens up many possibilities, even if only for assessment and control. “
DJI’s response
Still using Twitter, DJI responded to the Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister saying that precisely because drones have exclusively civilian uses, they should not pose a strategic danger. They don’t come with stealth mode, then the Ukrainian army can identify them using AeroScope. Furthermore, he explained that the system cannot be shut down: AeroScope only allows you to locate the drones, not to shut them down or make them unusable. He doesn’t have that kind of access, according to the company.
DJI has also stated its willingness to create one no-flight-zone over Ukraine, even if the system of geo–fencing that could block drones needs to be downloaded as an update and it remains unlikely that the Russians will.
The relationship between MediaWorld and DJI
In the past few hours, to react to the boycott of MediaWorld, DJI has issued a press release explaining the situation, which is still in development. He explains that the social campaign against DJI was based on “false accusations”. And he clarifies, without naming Mediaworld, that: “As a precaution, one of our partners has suspended all sales ofi DJI while assessing the situation in close cooperation with DJI. The allegations made against us are not based on facts and are absolutely false. “
The company explains that it has already published the response to Fedorov’s requests on March 13, 17 and 25. “We do not provide technical support when a military use of our products is identified.”
And he explains that he is acting in accordance with the sanctions against Russia. “We are committed to acting in compliance with sanctions, export controls and other applicable laws and regulations. We have an internal team dedicated to compliance and expert external consultants in the United States and Europeto ensure that our general business practices and transactions are in full compliance with applicable rules and regulations. “
So the fact of the matter is that these drones have been used by both sides. Not because they have direct military utility, but because the earmies find tools useful that photographers and videomakers from all over the world also appreciate. Aeroscope reportedly DJI cannot actively shut down or move drones away.
From the press release from the drone manufacturer, assuming it is already working to talk to MediaWorld on the situation. We will keep you updated for further developments.