A secret military training program conducted by China for Russian armed forces was personally authorized by Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov, involving the direct participation of at least four senior generals from both Russia and China. According to classified documents and testimonies from two European officials, this covert military cooperation is directly tied to the ongoing war in Ukraine. The revelations are causing heightened anxiety among European leadership, even as Beijing continues to deny that any such training sessions took place.
According to the leaked files, Belousov signed an internal decree in August 2025 that ordered a delegation of the Russian Armed Forces to travel to China. This deployment was organized for the explicit purpose of participating in a series of specialized training courses hosted at People Liberation Army facilities. One specific report describes a three week course that took place in Beijing in November, which focused heavily on defense against radiological, chemical, and biological threats.
The internal files also contain photographs of Russian soldiers during the training sessions, showing a Chinese instructor delivering lectures to the foreign troops. Additional images depict the Russian personnel examining a model of a nuclear reactor and studying specialized subjects such as chemical reconnaissance, radiation reconnaissance, and the protection of ventilation systems from contamination. A European official noted that including radiological, chemical, and biological warfare fields highlights the highly strategic nature of this cooperation, especially since these are exceptionally sensitive areas for modern militaries.
The defense ministries of both Russia and China did not respond to requests for comment regarding the leaked intelligence. The Chinese Foreign Ministry stated that Beijing stance regarding the war in Ukraine has not changed, adding that the relevant claims are completely groundless. China continues to publicly portray itself as a neutral country and a potential mediator between the warring parties.
The current findings add weight to a previous intelligence report from last month, which indicated that China trained approximately 200 Russian military personnel, some of whom have already joined the fighting in Ukraine. The Kremlin refused to comment on the substance of that report at the time, dismissing it as false information being spread by the West.
European Union Foreign Policy Chief Kaja Kallas stated on June 15 that Brussels has independently verified that the training sessions did indeed take place, and that the alliance is currently evaluating the broader security implications. Beijing quickly rejected her statement, claiming that the accusations amounted to nothing more than slander.
An internal debate is currently underway within the European Union regarding whether additional punitive measures should be taken against China as a result of these hidden training operations. This debate is highly sensitive because China remains one of Europe primary economic trading partners. The European Union has already imposed sanctions on several Chinese companies that it claims are directly assisting the Russian war effort. Another European official stated that the bloc must stop viewing China primarily as an economic partner, and instead treat it as a central enabler of Russia war.
The two European sources stated that the foundational agreement establishing the training program was signed on July 2 by Russian Major General Rustam Khusainov and Chinese Senior Colonel Sun Dayon. Conversely, the Chairman of the Russian State Duma Defense Committee, Andrei Kartapolov, rejected the report in an interview with the RTVI channel, calling it complete nonsense and claiming that the Russian military has nothing to learn from China.
Internal documents obtained from the military files reveal that the Russian army conducted an official assessment of the Chinese training courses. One report, which focused on exercises conducted in Nanjing, praised the quality of the Chinese equipment, the advanced simulation systems, and the high theoretical knowledge of the Chinese instructors. However, the document explicitly noted China total lack of real combat experience, contrasting it with Russia, which has accumulated extensive battlefield experience from more than four years of fighting in the war in Ukraine.
A separate document included a complete roster of all the personnel who participated in the training courses, including their military ranks, dates of birth, military units, and the security clearance level of each individual. According to the paperwork, the Russian delegation was led by Colonel General Rustam Muradov, the Deputy Commander of Russian Ground Forces. On the Chinese side, Major General Li Jinsong, the head of the People Liberation Army Military Academy for Radiological, Chemical, and Biological Defense, attended the opening ceremony, while Major General Vitaly Gerasimov participated in a separate course held in the city of Bengbu.
