China trained Russian forces in secret NBC defense drills, Reuters reports

A classified Russian document showed that Defence Minister Andrei Belousov approved secret travel to China in August 2025 for Russian troops to train at People’s Liberation Army facilities. European officials said at least four Russian and Chinese generals were involved, a sign that the cooperation went well beyond low-level exchange and into areas that normally carry the closest political oversight.

The most sensitive part of the program was a three-week course in Beijing in November focused on radiological, chemical and biological protection. Russian soldiers were shown a model nuclear reactor, taught chemical and radiation reconnaissance, and instructed on how to protect ventilation systems from contamination. That mix of classroom and technical training pointed to battlefield survivability, not symbolic military diplomacy.

The Beijing course fit into a wider training pipeline that had already emerged earlier in 2025. On July 2, 2025, senior officers signed a dual-language Russian-Chinese agreement in Beijing covering a covert program that later brought about 200 Russian military personnel to China. Training took place in Beijing and Nanjing and covered drones, explosives, mines and electronic warfare systems, with some of the Russian personnel later returning to fight in Ukraine. The earlier program underscored how the relationship was moving from broad political alignment to operational support that could feed directly into Russia’s war effort.

European officials have treated the NBC drills as especially significant because of their subject matter and the level of approval behind them. In mid-June, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said, “We have also now verified reports that the Chinese military has been training Russian military personnel to fight in Ukraine,” and described Beijing as a “decisive enabler” of Russia’s war against Ukraine. European intelligence agencies later said the training had taken place at several locations in China and involved hundreds of people.

China’s foreign ministry has said its stance on the Ukraine crisis remained unchanged and denied the allegations. But the combination of a ministerial decree, senior generals on both sides and training in nuclear, biological and chemical defense suggests a deeper military trust than Beijing’s public line implies. For Moscow, the program offered practical help for a grinding war. For Beijing, it showed how far the partnership can extend while still being presented as routine technical cooperation.