Russia is planning to train at least 600 Chinese soldiers this year to counter the US and NATO weapons, according to a new report in the Ukrainian media. Moscow is likely to carry out the training program for Chinese military personnel at its Armed Forces bases and military centres.
The initiative is part of a plan to equip Chinese soldiers with skills and tactics that Russia used in the war with Ukraine, according to The Kyiv Post.
The Chinese soldiers will receive training to counter Western weapons, with an emphasis on preparing air defence specialists, engineers, tank operators, and artillerymen, according to the report.
The growing closeness between Beijing and Moscow has worried security experts, who believe that China might use these strategies in a possible invasion of Taiwan.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced last month that China had stopped selling drones to Kyiv and other European countries, but that shipments to Russia were still underway. Initially, during the war with Russia, Ukraine was highly dependent on Chinese drones such as the DJI Mavic.
Mr Zelensky told Bloomberg, "Chinese Mavic is open for Russians but is closed for Ukrainians. There are production lines on Russian territory where there are Chinese representatives."
Ukraine is dependent on its allies for drone production as it aims to manufacture between 300 and 500 units every 24 hours. "There is no issue in production capacity; the issue is in financing," the Ukrainian President said.
Earlier, there were reports that Chinese and Russian companies were working together to develop attack drones. Experts say China still relies on Russia for advanced military technology in certain areas such as missiles, submarines, and electronic warfare.
Since the beginning of the war between Russia and Ukraine in February 2022, China has presented itself as a neutral party. However, ideologically they are more aligned with Moscow than Kyiv.
