China Secretly Trained Russian Troops In Drone Warfare, Some Returned To Fight In Ukraine

Last Updated:May 19, 2026, 20:29 IST

Reuters reports China secretly trained about 200 Russian troops in drones and warfare in 2025, some now fight in Ukraine, China denies bias and says it promotes peace talks.

China’s armed forces had secretly trained about 200 Russian military personnel last year and some of them have returned to fight in Ukraine, according to a report by Reuters.

Reuters cited three European intelligence agencies and documents stating that the covert training sessions, which predominantly focused on the use of drones, were outlined in a dual-language Russian-Chinese agreement signed by senior Russian and Chinese officers in Beijing on July 2, 2025.

This is despite China repeatedly stating that it remains neutral in the Russia-Ukraine conflict and is a peace mediator.

According to Reuters, the 2025 agreement stated that about 200 Russian troops would be trained at military facilities in locations including Beijing and the eastern city of Nanjing. The document stated that the Russians would be schooled in disciplines such as drones, electronic warfare, army aviation and armoured infantry.

With this, China’s direct involvement in the war by training Russian military personnel at an operational and tactical level has been revealed.

Following this, China’s foreign ministry said in a statement, “On the Ukraine crisis, China has consistently maintained an objective and impartial stance and ​worked to promote peace talks, this is consistent and clear and is witnessed by the international community. Relevant parties should not deliberately stoke confrontation or shift blame."

According to Reuters, European powers, which see Russia as a major security threat, have watched warily at increasingly close relations between Russia and China, the world’s second largest economy and an important European Union trade ⁠partner.

However, this is not the first time such revelation has been made. In September, Reuters quoted European officials stating that experts from private Chinese companies had conducted technical development work on military drones for a Russian attack drone manufacturer.

This comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin reached in Beijing on Tuesday for a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping with the aim to deepen a strategic partnership stretching from Scandinavia to Southeast Asia.

News world China Secretly Trained Russian Troops In Drone Warfare, Some Returned To Fight In Ukraine

Read More