Russia cleared secret military training for China at top level, Putin approved it: Report

Russia's covert military training programme with China last year was personally authorised by Russian defence minister Andrei Belousov and involved senior generals from both countries.According to a report by Reuters based on classified Russian documents and two European officials, Belousov approved the exchanges through an internal decree in August 2025, under which a Russian military delegation travelled to China for training at People's Liberation Army (PLA) facilities.The programme included instruction in radiological, chemical and biological (RCB) defence, highlighting the strategic nature of the cooperation despite China's repeated insistence that it remains neutral in the war in Ukraine.According to one classified report, Russian personnel attended a three-week course in Beijing in November focused on radiological, chemical and biological protection. Documents described Chinese instructors teaching Russian soldiers about "chemical reconnaissance", "radiation reconnaissance" and methods of protecting ventilation systems from contamination. The material also included images of Russian troops receiving lectures and examining a model nuclear reactor.

One of the European officials said the inclusion of radiological, biological and chemical warfare training underlined the strategic significance of the exchanges, noting that the subject was particularly sensitive for militaries.According to the report, China had trained around 200 Russian military personnel in November, with some later joining the war in Ukraine. The Kremlin declined to comment on that report at the time but complained about "false information" published in the West.European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on June 15 that Brussels had confirmed through its own channels that the training had taken place and was assessing the implications. Beijing dismissed her remarks, describing them as "nothing but smears".The latest documents provide fresh details of the programme's senior-level oversight. Two European officials identified the signatories of a July 2 agreement underpinning the training as Russian Major General Rustam Khusainov and Chinese Senior Colonel Sun Dayun.A Russian military participant list identified Colonel General Rustam Muradov, deputy commander-in-chief of Russia's land forces, as leading the Russian delegation. Chinese Major General Li Jinsun, head of the PLA's Military Academy of Radiological, Chemical and Biological Defence, attended the opening of one course, while Russian Major General Vitaly Gerasimov participated in training at Bengbu.The documents also revealed internal assessments of the Chinese programme.

One report on training in Nanjing praised the quality of equipment, instructors and simulators, while specifically highlighting China's lack of combat experience compared with Russia's forces, which have fought in Ukraine for more than four years.The defence ministries of Russia and China did not comment on the matter.China's foreign ministry rejected the report, saying its position on the Ukraine conflict had remained unchanged."The relevant allegations are entirely unfounded," it said in a statement.Beijing has consistently maintained that it is neutral in the Ukraine war and has presented itself as a potential peace mediator.Within the European Union, officials are debating whether the revelations warrant further action against Beijing. The bloc has already imposed sanctions on Chinese companies it says support Russia's war effort.According to the report, the EU needed to stop viewing China primarily through an economic lens and instead focus on what Kallas has called its role as a "decisive enabler of Russia's war".In Moscow, senior Russian lawmaker Andrei Kartapolov dismissed the report, telling RTVI that it was "complete nonsense" and arguing that Russia's military had nothing to learn from China.