China secretly trained Russian troopsChina secretly trained Russian troops for Ukraine, sources say
China’s armed forces secretly trained about 200 Russian military personnel in China late last year, according to three European intelligence agencies and documents seen by Reuters.
Some of those troops have since returned to fight in Ukraine, adding a new layer to the Russia-Ukraine war and raising questions about Beijing’s role.
European Intelligence Sources
European intelligence agencies and documents seen by Reuters indicate that Chinese military personnel trained Russian soldiers in China in a covert program. Their reading is that some of the trained personnel later went back to the war in Ukraine.
Chinese Perspective
China has not publicly acknowledged any such training program in the reporting. Beijing has generally portrayed itself as a neutral actor and rejected claims that it is directly involved in the war.
Russian Perspective
The reporting says the trained personnel were Russian military members, and some returned to the front in Ukraine. Russia has often sought outside support and training to sustain its campaign while limiting visible dependence.
- China and Russia declared a “no limits” partnership in 2022, but both governments have still managed their public distance carefully.
- European intelligence services are often among the first to detect secret foreign training programs because they watch cross-border movement and logistics closely.
- Foreign military training abroad has long been used to build ties without formal alliances.],
Russia-Ukraine War
Russia and Ukraine are locked in an retaliatory long-range drone and missile war that now strikes deep into both countries, including Moscow, St. Petersburg, Crimea, and major Ukrainian cities like Kyiv and Dnipro. Ukrainian forces launched one of their largest drone attacks on June 26, striking 12 Russian regions and hitting key energy targets, while Russia continues massive retaliatory bombardments that kill civilians and destroy infrastructure.
26 June, 09:41 AM
Ukraine unleashes massive drone bombardment on 12 Russian regions24 June, 10:31 AM
Ukrainian drones knock out power in Russian-held Sevastopol22 June, 03:20 PM
Ukraine strikes Russian missile electronics plant in Voronezh
