China trained Russian military personnel in drone warfare and other combat operations before some of them returned to fight in Ukraine, according to a Reuters report citing European intelligence agencies and documents linked to a 2025 defense cooperation agreement between Beijing and Moscow.
The report adds fresh scrutiny to the increasingly close military relationship between Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin as Russia's war in Ukraine drags deeper into its fourth year and Western governments intensify warnings about China's indirect support for Moscow's war effort.
Reuters reported that approximately 200 Russian military personnel took part in the training program during 2025 under an agreement allegedly signed between the two countries in July of that year.
According to the report, the instruction focused heavily on drone warfare - now one of the defining elements of the battlefield in Ukraine - alongside electronic warfare, armored infantry operations, explosives handling, demining, army aviation and counter-drone tactics.
The training reportedly took place at facilities in Beijing and Nanjing, among other locations inside China.
Neither Beijing nor Moscow publicly confirmed the Reuters report. But the allegations arrive against the backdrop of a rapidly expanding strategic partnership between the two nuclear powers, which in 2022 declared that their friendship had "no limits."
In a widely cited joint statement released shortly before Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, China and Russia said: "Friendship between the two States has no limits, there are no 'forbidden' areas of cooperation."
The statement further declared that the two countries intended to "strengthen foreign policy coordination," defend "common interests" and support "the international and regional balance of power."
Since then, Western intelligence agencies and Ukrainian officials have repeatedly accused China of quietly helping sustain Russia's military-industrial base despite publicly portraying itself as neutral in the conflict.
According to prior reporting by the Kyiv Independent, Chinese entities expanded purchases of Russian defense-related equipment after the invasion, including aircraft components, vehicles and ammunition-linked products. Some of those transactions reportedly involved Russian companies already sanctioned by Western governments over the war.
The Kyiv Independent also reported that Chinese officials traveled to Russia to review military hardware and negotiate procurement terms as economic cooperation between the countries deepened.
Publicly, however, Beijing has continued attempting to balance its partnership with Moscow against its broader diplomatic positioning on the war.
Associated Press previously reported that China has simultaneously opposed Western sanctions on Russia while presenting itself as a potential mediator in the conflict.
Chinese officials have repeatedly called for peace negotiations and criticized what they describe as Cold War-style Western alliances, while avoiding direct condemnation of Russia's invasion.
The Reuters report surfaced as Putin traveled to China for meetings with Xi Jinping, where both leaders again emphasized support for each other's territorial positions.
During the visit, Putin stated Russia "reaffirms its commitment to the One China principle and recognizes the existence of only one China," a reference to Beijing's claims over Taiwan.
China, in turn, declared that 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."
