Russia to arm and train Chinese airborne battalion, leaked documents reveal deepening military pact

Russia has struck a secretive deal to equip and train a Chinese airborne battalion, according to leaked documents verified by one of Britain’s leading defence think tanks.

The revelations, based on around 800 pages of contracts and materials obtained by the hacktivist group Black Moon and reviewed by the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), shed light on the expanding military partnership between Moscow and Beijing.

Under the 2023 agreement, Russia committed to supplying China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) with a package of advanced equipment, including assault vehicles, anti-tank guns, and airborne armoured personnel carriers. While the vehicles would be fitted with Chinese communication and command systems, Russian forces would train an entire battalion of Chinese paratroopers to operate them.

The deal also includes a technology transfer arrangement, enabling China to develop similar weapons domestically, according to RUSI’s assessment.

Strategic implications for Taiwan and beyond

Analysts say the agreement could significantly enhance China’s air manoeuvre capabilities — one of the few areas where Russia maintains a military edge over the PLA.

“Russia is equipping and training Chinese special forces groups to penetrate the territory of other countries without being noticed, offering offensive options against Taiwan, the Philippines and other island states in the region,” wrote RUSI fellows Oleksandr V. Danylyuk and Jack Watling in an analysis of the documents.

For Beijing, which regards self-governing Taiwan as part of its territory, improving its airborne forces could one day prove pivotal in mounting an operation to seize the island of 23 million people.

The disclosures come at a time of tightening political and military ties between Russia and China. Both countries have framed their partnership as a counterweight to US and Western influence, with joint military drills and growing defence cooperation.

If fully carried out, the agreement would not only strengthen China’s rapid-deployment forces but also highlight how Moscow — despite its costly war in Ukraine — continues to project influence through military partnerships with strategic allies.