World
Russia Approved Secret China Military Training At Top Level: Reuters
July 1 (Reuters) – China’s covert military training of Russian forces last year was personally approved by President Vladimir Putin’s defense minister and directly involved at least four Russian and Chinese generals, according to two European officials and documents seen by Reuters.
The officials said the involvement of such high-ranking individuals in training linked to the Ukraine war signaled the importance for Russia and China of such cooperation, which has caused alarm in Europe even as Beijing has denied it took place.
A classified Russian document seen by Reuters directly referred to an internal decree issued by Defense Minister Andrei Belousov in August, 2025.
It said that, in accordance with a decision by Belousov, a delegation from Russia’s armed forces travelled to China to participate in training exercises at People’s Liberation Army (PLA) facilities.
Training in Radiological, Biological, Chemical Warfare
The same report detailed one of the training courses – a three-week session focused on radiological, chemical and biological protection at a military facility in Beijing in November.
The report and a second one described and displayed images of Russian soldiers being lectured by a Chinese instructor, looking at a model nuclear reactor, and being taught about “chemical reconnaissance”, “radiation reconnaissance” and protecting ventilation systems from contamination.
The inclusion of radiological, biological and chemical warfare training underlined the strategic nature of the exchanges, one of the European officials said, noting that the topic was particularly sensitive for militaries in general.
The defense ministries of Russia and China did not respond to requests for comment for this article.
China’s foreign ministry said in a statement that its stance on the Ukraine crisis had remained consistent.
“The relevant allegations are entirely unfounded,” it added, referring to details contained in this report.
Beijing says it is neutral in Russia’s war with Ukraine, and presents itself as a peace mediator.
Maxim Shemetov/Pool Photo via AP
According to a Reuters report last month citing European intelligence agencies and military documents, China in November trained around 200 Russian military personnel, some of whom have since joined the war in Ukraine.
The Kremlin declined to comment on that report, but complained about “false information” published in the West.
European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on June 15 that Brussels had confirmed through its own channels that the training had taken place and was now assessing the implications.
Beijing described her comments as “nothing but smears”.
EU Ponders Response To Trade Partner China
European powers, which have viewed Russia as their main security threat since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, have watched warily as ties have grown closer between Moscow and China, the world’s second largest economy and a key EU trade partner.
For the 27-member bloc, discussion behind closed doors centers around whether further measures are needed in response to the training, given the trade priorities that traditionally shape the relationship with Beijing.
The EU has already imposed sanctions on Chinese companies that it says support Russia’s war effort.
A third official, in Brussels, told Reuters the bloc had to stop viewing China primarily through an economic lens, but focus on what Kallas called its role as a “decisive enabler of Russia’s war”.
Both of the European officials, who asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the information, identified the signatories of a July 2 agreement underpinning the training as Russian Major General Rustam Khusainov and Chinese Senior Colonel Sun Dayun.
Andrei Kartapolov, a senior lawmaker who heads the Russian parliament’s defense committee, told Russia’s RTVI outlet that the report about the training was “complete nonsense” and that Russia’s military had nothing to learn from China.
China’s Lack Of Combat Experience
Russia has accrued extensive experience in more than four years of combat in Ukraine, while China, with a vast and technologically advanced military, has not fought a war in decades.
Internal Russian military reports seen by Reuters noted strengths and weaknesses in the training.
One report on the training in Nanjing praised the standard of the equipment, the use of simulators and the instructors’ high theoretical knowledge while specifically noting China’s lack of combat experience.
Other documents named three generals who took part.
One Russian military document seen by Reuters listed the names of every participant in all of the courses – including those of senior officers – providing rank, date of birth, affiliation and level of security clearance in each case.
Colonel General Rustam Muradov, deputy commander-in-chief of Russia’s land forces, led the Russian delegation, according to the list and a second military document seen by Reuters.
According to the latter, Chinese Major General Li Jinsun, head of the PLA’s Military Academy of Radiological, Chemical and Biological Defence, took part in the opening of one of the courses.
Russian Major General Vitaly Gerasimov took part in a course in Bengbu, according to the list.
(Editing by Mike Collett-White and Kevin Liffey)
Iranians mourning the country’s supreme leader condemned U.S. strikes that Washington called retaliation for Iran’s attacks on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz. At a tightly controlled state funeral in Mashhad — one of Iran’s most conservative cities, where opponents of the government were unlikely to be found in the crowd — mourners voiced defiance and called for revenge.
World
Beloved musicians among victims in deadly Bahamas plane crash; aviation authority grounds flights
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A devastating double-aviation crisis in the Bahamas, including a deadly North Andros plane crash and a separate aircraft fire on Friday, prompted the government to suspend flight operations for a local airline and launch a federal safety probe.
Shortly after 1 p.m. local time Friday, a Cessna 402 aircraft with Bahamian registration departed Lynden Pindling International Airport in Nassau bound for San Andros Airport.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Authority (AAIA) said the plane “encountered difficulties” and crashed into bushes prior to landing.
MISSOURI SKYDIVING PLANE CRASH THAT KILLED ALL 12 ABOARD IS A ‘DEVASTATING LOSS,’ COMPANY SAYS
Authorities said 10 people were killed in a Bahamas plane crash on Friday. (Our News Bahamas via AP)
First responders, including the Royal Bahamas Police Force, Airport Authority and emergency medical personnel, rushed to the dense brush where the aircraft went down.
The Bahamas Musicians and Entertainers Union confirmed in a statement Saturday that 10 people died in the crash, including prominent members of the “The Pond Band” and a local DJ, whose artistry the union said “touched so many lives and helped to enrich the cultural fabric of The Bahamas.”
Bahamian Prime Minister Philip Brave Davis said a sole survivor was pulled from the wreckage.
“Ann and I are praying for the families who are now facing unbearable grief,” Davis wrote in a statement on X. “We are also praying for the survivor, whose recovery and care will remain in our thoughts.”
EIGHT BELIEVED DEAD AFTER B-52 CRASHES SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF FROM EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE
The identities of those killed in the crash have not yet been released.
While the AAIA’s preliminary reports initially indicated seven people were on board, officials are still establishing the facts of the flight manifest.
Just hours before the fatal crash in North Andros, a Flamingo Air flight en route to Mayaguana was forced to turn back to Nassau after the pilot reported a concern, according to the Ministry of Energy, Utilities and Aviation (MoET).
After the aircraft landed and passengers safely deplaned, the plane caught fire on the runway.
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FILE – The Civil Aviation Authority Bahamas temporarily suspended Flamingo Air’s Air Operator Certificate following two aircraft incidents Friday. (iStock)
Following the two back-to-back safety incidents, the Civil Aviation Authority Bahamas (CAAB) temporarily suspended Flamingo Air’s Air Operator Certificate, according to MoET officials.
“The suspension is a precautionary safety measure and should not be treated as an adverse compliance action against Flamingo Air,” the agency wrote in a statement.
FILE – The plane crashed in North Andros on Friday after taking off from Lynden Pindling International Airport. (Melissa Alcena/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Investigators from the AAIA and inspectors from the CAAB remain at the scene in North Andros as they work to determine what caused the Cessna 402 tragedy.
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Flamingo Air did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Published on •Updated
Moldova’s pro-European President Maia Sandu nominated businessman Vasile Tofan on Saturday as the country’s next prime minister to replace Alexandru Munteanu, who resigned earlier this month over differences with the ruling majority.
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In a video posted to social media, Sandu said Tofan’s primary responsibility, after his candidacy is approved by the country’s parliament, would be to move the country further towards its path of “integration” into the European Union.
He should also “strengthen the resilience of state institutions and society”, and “revive the economy”, added Sandu.
The Moldovan businessman now has two weeks to secure parliamentary backing, a prospect he hopes to achieve after submitting his government programme and his ministerial cabinet nominations.
Tofan had been mentioned as a possible prime minister last year even before the appointment of Munteanu.
Igor Grosu, who heads Sandu’s Action and Solidarity Party (PAS) which won the last parliamentary elections in September, announced on Friday that he had selected him as his candidate to replace the outgoing premier.
He said Tofan shared “the same objectives” as him and PAS, specifying that “EU accession in the years to come, institutional reform and economic growth”, were among the biggest points of agreement.
The nominee for prime minister, who graduated Harvard Business School and turns 44 on Sunday, has a degree in public management from the Netherlands and is a managing partner at Horizon Capital, a private equity firm with assets primarily in Ukraine and Moldova.
He has also chaired the board of directors of Moldova’s Purcari winery, considered the crown jewel of the country’s winemaking sector.
Munteanu, another businessman who like Sandu previously worked at the World Bank, had been chosen to boost the economy and bring it closer to the EU, but turbulence with PAS saw him vacate his post less than a year into holding office.
He resigned on 3 July after less than eight months, stating that he could no longer carry out his mandate “according to (his) principles and (his) convictions”.
The EU last month officially launched a first round of accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova. Both countries became official EU candidate countries on 23 June 2022.
Additional sources • AFP
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