Russian military personnel were trained in China in 2025 before some of them returned to fight in Ukraine, according to a new report.
Reuters reported that about 200 Russian military personnel participated in the training. Citing three European intelligence agencies as well as documents it said its reporters had reviewed, the outlet noted that the training focused primarily on drone warfare and was done under an agreement signed by the nations in July 2025. Russian troops were trained at various facilities, including in Beijing and Nanjing.
Other areas where Russian military personnel received training include electronic warfare, army aviation, armored infantry, explosives handling, demining, and counter-drone measures.
The apparent military cooperation follows a 2022 announcement in which Russia and China jointly declared that their partnership knew "no limits."
"The new inter-State relations between Russia and China are superior to political and military alliances of the Cold War era. Friendship between the two States has no limits, there are no 'forbidden' areas of cooperation," the joint statement from 2022 said.
"(Russia and China) reaffirmed their intention to strengthen foreign policy coordination, pursue true multilateralism, strengthen cooperation on multilateral platforms, defend common interests, support the international and regional balance of power, and improve global governance," reads another passage of the statement.
Since that announcement, there have been several indications of increasing cooperation between China and Russia. In December 2025, the Kyiv Independent reported on several developments between the two countries.
That report stated that after Russia invaded Ukraine, China began purchasing Russian equipment, including aircraft, vehicles, and ammunition. Some of those deals, the outlet reported, went to Russian defense companies that faced economic sanctions over the war. As part of that process, Chinese officials visited Russia to gather information on weapons and negotiate terms for such deals, the Kyiv Independent reported.
Publicly, China has defended Russia, its strategic partner, while also trying to promote itself as a potential mediator for the conflict, the Associated Press reported. For example, China has opposed economic sanctions in the past against Russia over the invasion, but the country has also said it wanted to play a constructive role in resolving the conflict.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is currently in China visiting counterpart Xi Jinping. The two expressed support for the other country's "territorial integrity," with Putin saying the country "reaffirms its commitment to the One China principle and recognizes the existence of only one China."
Beijing, in turn, claimed it "supports Russia's efforts towards the provision of security, stability, national development, prosperity, sovereignty and territorial integrity and opposes external interference in Russian internal affairs."
