CHINA secretly trained hundreds of Russian soldiers on its territory before they were sent to the front lines to fight in Ukraine, according to reports.
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) reportedly hosted several hundred Russian soldiers at six covert military bases in China.
Training took place late last year before troops were sent to Ukraine soon after.
Drone warfare was a specific focus of the camps which coached Russian forces including Russia’s elite “Rubicon” frontline drone unit.
The bombshell claim was first reported by German newspaper Die Welt last month, citing secret documents.
On Sunday, EU top diplomat Kaja Kallas said the EU had “now verified reports that the Chinese military had been training Russian military personnel to fight in Ukraine”.
Speaking after a meeting of EU foreign ministers she added: “We are carefully assessing the implications.”
China has claimed neutrality in the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.
But the report bolsters suspicions that Beijing has been dragged far more directly into the conflict than publicly disclosed, as the “axis of evil” pulls closer.
Just last month Chinese president Xi Jinping rolled out the red carpet for Russian tyrant Vladimir Putin.
During the meeting, the pair praised their countries’ close partnership as they extended their treaty of “friendly cooperation”.
And Chinese troops have also reportedly received their own training in Russia.
Around 600 of Beijing’s soldiers learnt about armoured combat, artillery deployment and air defences in Russia last year, the outlet reports.
A German foreign ministry spokesman said: “China’s crucial and growing support for Russia’s war of aggression also affects our security.
“In all our discussions with the Chinese side, we make it very clear how deeply concerned we are about China’s support for Russia.”
The two countries have increasingly shared information about European and US weapons being sent to Ukraine.
This includes equipment captured on the battlefield by Russian troops, the report said.
Particular interest has focused on US-made HIMARS rocket launchers, Patriot air-defence systems, German-made Marder armoured vehicles, and American Abrams main battle tanks.
Ties between China and Russia have strengthened in the years since Putin launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Putin has also become more reliant on China, as Western sanctions squeeze oil revenues and made China the dominant buyer of Russian oil.
Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/16514311/xi-jinping-trained-putins-soldiers-ukraine-war/