Russia secretly sent military personnel to China last year for military training, according to a report by Reuters published on Wednesday, July 1 which cited two European officials and referred to multiple internal Russian documents.
The program was personally approved by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s defense minister, Andrei Belousov, and involved at least four senior Russian and Chinese military generals.
A classified Russian document obtained by Reuters shows that in August 2025, Belousov signed an internal order authorizing a delegation from the Russian Armed Forces to travel to a People’s Liberation Army (PLA) training facility in China to participate in military training courses.
One of the training programs took place over three weeks in November at a military base in Beijing, focusing on radiological, chemical, and biological (RCB) defense. According to the documents, Russian soldiers received instruction from Chinese military instructors and studied subjects including chemical reconnaissance, radiological reconnaissance, knowledge related to nuclear reactors, and methods for protecting ventilation systems from contamination.
Internal photographs reviewed by Reuters also show that the Russian trainees toured a nuclear reactor model and underwent various chemical defense training exercises. One European official said that training in radiological, biological, and chemical (RBC) warfare is a highly sensitive area of military expertise, making this type of cooperation strategically significant.
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Russia calls it ‘false information’
According to another Reuters report published last month, citing European intelligence agencies and military documents, China also trained approximately 200 Russian military personnel in November last year. Some of those trainees were later deployed to the battlefield in Ukraine.
Responding to the reports, the Kremlin declined to comment, stating only that Western media were spreading “false information.”
However, on June 15, Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, said that the EU had independently confirmed through its own channels that the training had indeed taken place and was currently assessing its implications.
As military cooperation between Russia and China continues to deepen, discussions have begun within Europe over whether additional measures are needed. Because China is one of the European Union’s most important trading partners, the bloc is facing a renewed challenge in balancing its security concerns with its economic interests.
According to the report, the EU has already sanctioned several Chinese companies accused of supporting Russia’s war effort. A Brussels official said that the EU can no longer view China solely through an economic lens but must pay greater attention to Beijing’s role in Russia’s war.
EU confirms training
Documents obtained by Reuters also reveal that an agreement underpinning the training cooperation was signed on July 2 of last year by Russian Major General Rustam Khusainov and Chinese Senior Colonel Sun Dayun.
In addition, the report states that Colonel General Rustam Muradov, Deputy Commander of the Russian Ground Forces, led the Russian delegation to China. Major General Li Jinsun, president of the PLA Chemical Defense Academy, attended the opening ceremony of one of the training courses, while Major General Vitaly Gerasimov participated in a related course held in Bengbu, Anhui Province.
Earlier, on June 12, multiple media outlets, citing an unnamed EU official, reported that European Union intelligence agencies had confirmed that the Chinese Communist Party had provided military training to Russian personnel, some of whom later took part in Russia’s military operations against Ukraine.
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