China trained Russian forces in sensitive military exercises, Reuters reports

A Russian decree issued by Defense Minister Andrei Belousov authorized a delegation from Russia’s armed forces to travel to China for exercises at People’s Liberation Army facilities, underscoring that the exchanges were sanctioned at the top of the chain. European officials and classified documents showed the training was not a casual visit but part of a structured military program that reached into sensitive dual-use capabilities.

The program covered about 200 Russian military personnel in late 2025 under a secret bilateral agreement signed in Beijing on July 2, 2025. Training took place at military facilities in Beijing, Nanjing and other locations across China, and included drones, electronic warfare, counter-drone tactics, army aviation, mechanized infantry training, military engineering, mines and explosives. A classified Russian document referred to an internal decree from Belousov in August 2025, reinforcing that the arrangement had formal approval inside the Russian defense establishment.

One of the most revealing courses was a three-week session in Beijing in November focused on radiological, chemical and biological protection. Russian soldiers were shown a model nuclear reactor and taught chemical reconnaissance, radiation reconnaissance and how to protect ventilation systems from contamination. Those are the kinds of capabilities armies treat as highly sensitive because they can be adapted for battlefield survival, infrastructure defense and operations in contaminated environments.

At least four Russian and Chinese generals were directly involved, a detail that points to a relationship more strategic than symbolic. Some of the Russian trainees later returned to fight in Ukraine, including in drone operations in Crimea and the Zaporizhzhia region, adding to the view among European officials that China has been helping Moscow sustain war capacity in practical ways rather than only through diplomacy or trade.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on June 15, 2026, after a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg, that Brussels had verified the reports through its own channels and was assessing the implications. She described Beijing as a “decisive enabler” of Russia’s war against Ukraine. China’s Foreign Ministry said its stance on the Ukraine crisis had remained consistent, and Beijing denied the earlier allegations as unfounded while saying it promotes peace talks. The Kremlin complained that Western media had spread false information.

The training deepens pressure on Washington and its allies to treat China’s military ties with Russia as an operational issue, not a rhetorical one. If Beijing is helping Moscow train personnel who then cycle back into the war in Ukraine, sanctions design, export controls and allied force planning all have to account for a more integrated Russia-China security partnership.