A secret military exercise involving senior Russian and Chinese officers

Last year, the Kremlin authorised secret military training of Russian troops by China, according to two European officials and documents seen by Reuters, which implicate at least four Russian and Chinese generals. The involvement of such high-ranking officials in training linked to the war in Ukraine demonstrates, according to these sources, the importance that Moscow and Beijing attach to this cooperation, which is causing concern among Europeans, even though China denies that it took place.

A classified Russian document seen by Reuters refers to an internal decree signed by Andrei Belousov (Russian Defence Minister) in August 2025, under which a delegation from the Russian armed forces travelled to China to take part in exercises at People’s Liberation Army facilities. One of the three-week training courses took place in Beijing in November and focused on radiological, chemical and biological protection. Russian soldiers attended classes delivered by a Chinese instructor, examined a model of a nuclear reactor and learnt techniques for chemical and radiological reconnaissance.

According to one European official, the inclusion of this radiological, chemical and biological component underlines the strategic nature of these exchanges – a particularly sensitive issue for any army. The Russian and Chinese defence ministries did not respond to requests for comment, and the Chinese Foreign Ministry described these accusations as “completely unfounded”, pointing out that Beijing presents itself as neutral and a mediator for peace in the war in Ukraine.

A Reuters report published last month, citing European intelligence services and military documents, had already indicated that around 200 Russian military personnel had been trained in China in November, some of whom have since joined the front line in Ukraine. The EU’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, stated on 15 June that Brussels had confirmed, through its own channels, that this training had taken place – a statement that Beijing dismissed as mere “smear campaigning”.

The Europeans, who have regarded Russia as their main security threat since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, are viewing with suspicion the strengthening of ties between Moscow and Beijing, the world’s second-largest economy and a major trading partner of the European Union. The EU has already imposed sanctions on Chinese companies accused of supporting Russia’s war effort, and is now discussing further measures in response to what Brussels regards as decisive support for the Russian war. Reuters

🇷🇺 Russia – 🇺🇦 Ukraine • A Russian strike on five petrol stations in the Dnipropetrovsk region killed one woman and injured three other people, whilst a drone attack on a coach left two people dead in Kherson. On Tuesday, a 26-year-old woman was also killed by a Russian drone on a beach in Odessa. These almost daily strikes on petrol stations have been increasing for several weeks in regions close to the front line, in response to Ukrainian shelling of Russian refineries.

🇷🇺 Russia - 🇺🇦 Ukraine • The Ukrainian army struck the Russian satellite communications centre in Dubna, near Moscow, again on Tuesday, as well as a refinery in Ufa and a missile parts factory in the Penza region, Volodymyr Zelensky announced. For months, Kyiv has been stepping up these long-range strikes against Russian energy and military infrastructure, even though the number of Russian drone and missile attacks on Ukraine fell significantly in June compared with May.

🇹🇷 Turkey • NATO leaders will meet on 7 and 8 July in Ankara – Donald Trump’s first visit there as US President – without the crackdown on the Turkish opposition featuring on the agenda. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Western countries have turned a blind eye to the state of fundamental freedoms in Turkey, prioritising security and defence ties with this regional military power and major exporter of drones.

🇬🇧 United Kingdom • As he prepares to step down, Prime Minister Keir Starmer has unveiled a plan to increase the UK’s multi-annual defence budget to nearly 300 billion pounds over the next four years, to modernise drones, the nuclear deterrent and the Royal Navy. This plan, deemed “underfunded” by the opposition and by a retired general, has been presented ahead of the NATO summit on 7 and 8 July, where London aims to demonstrate its resolve in the face of the Russian threat.

🇩🇪 Germany • Defence Minister Boris Pistorius has announced plans to expand the production of US weapons on German soil, notably Patriots missiles and interceptors, of which stocks are limited.

🇫🇷 France • The French Parliament is set to approve a bill increasing investment in the armed forces to €436 billion by 2030, which is €36 billion more than originally planned.

🇸🇪 Sweden – 🇺🇦 Ukraine • The Swedish Gripen fighter jet is playing an increasingly important role in Ukraine’s air defence, with Kyiv hoping to eventually acquire up to 150 aircraft. The first deliveries, comprising older C/D variants, are due to begin in early 2027, with 16 fighters planned.

🇷🇺 Russia • Economic pessimism among Russians has reached its highest level in twenty years, according to a Gallup poll: 60 per cent believe the economic situation is deteriorating and 56 per cent feel their standard of living is declining. Confidence in the military has fallen to 66 per cent, down from 80 per cent in 2022, and confidence in the government to 53 per cent, down from 66 per cent over the same period, against a backdrop of petrol shortages linked to Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries.

🇻🇪 Venezuela • A week after the twin earthquakes on 24 June – the most powerful the country has experienced in over a century – the death toll has risen to 1,943, and the UN estimates that 50,000 people are still missing. The search for survivors is drawing to a close, as the 72-hour window has long since passed, although Jordanian rescue workers miraculously pulled a three-year-old child from the rubble. Many survivors, left to fend for themselves, are criticising the slow pace of government aid and are relying on volunteers and foreign rescue workers.

🇵🇾 Paraguay – 🇺🇾 Uruguay • The Mercosur summit in Paraguay highlighted differences among its members over the implementation of the trade agreement with the European Union, with Paraguayan President Santiago Peña denouncing internal “asymmetries” deemed unfair.

🇸🇩 Sudan • Amnesty International accuses the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group of crimes against humanity and “ethnic cleansing” during the siege and capture of the town of El-Facher in Darfur between 2024 and 2025 – acts which “could constitute the crime of genocide”. The NGO, which has gathered 247 testimonies detailing executions, rapes and torture, particularly targeting children, is calling for an immediate ceasefire and the deployment of an international force to protect the town of El-Obeid, which is under threat from an imminent offensive by the paramilitary forces.

🇨🇩 DRC • The Ebola outbreak threatens tens of thousands of jobs and could cost African economies up to 3.6 billion dollars, warns the United Nations Development Programme. The crisis could push nearly a million more people into poverty, affecting women first and foremost, as well as neighbouring countries such as Uganda, Rwanda and South Sudan, in addition to the tens of thousands of jobs already under threat in the DRC itself.

🇲🇲 Myanmar • More than 100,000 people have been killed since the start of the civil war triggered by the 2021 military coup, according to the NGO Acled, which describes this conflict – fragmented into more than 1,200 armed groups – as the deadliest currently in Asia. More than 3.7 million people are internally displaced, and the army, which regained the upper hand last year thanks to Chinese support, has introduced compulsory conscription.

🇨🇳 China • From today, Beijing is tightening its control over foreign investment in sectors deemed strategic, such as artificial intelligence, semiconductors and green technologies, in the name of “national security”. The new rules extend restrictions on the export of services and skilled personnel, against a backdrop of technological rivalry with the United States. In April, Beijing had already blocked Meta’s takeover of the AI start-up Manus, which was founded in China but is based in Singapore.

🇺🇸 United States – 🇮🇷 Iran – 🇶🇦 Qatar • US and Iranian representatives are holding indirect technical talks in Doha to implement the memorandum of understanding signed on 17 June, following an exchange of strikes that threatened the truce between Washington and Tehran. Donald Trump described the meetings as “very good”, but significant tensions remain over Iran’s nuclear programme and the Strait of Hormuz, where maritime traffic has slowed following two attacks on ships. In Lebanon, Israel has continued its air strikes despite the framework agreement signed on Friday.