Chinese troops line up for Russia’s Tsentr-2026 exercise as military ties tighten

William ZhengPublished: 7:00pm, 3 Oct 2026Chinese troops have taken part in a mass multinational exercise in Russia featuring new anti-drone and ground robot systems – drills that Russian state media said “applied lessons” from the Ukraine war.The troops were among more than 47,000 military personnel involved in the Tsentr-2026 – or Centre-2026 – drills in the central western Chelyabinsk region from Monday until Saturday.

The Russian Ministry of Defence said the strategic command-and-staff exercise applied combat lessons from the Ukraine war to “repel external aggression in the Central Asian direction”.

Russian President Vladimir Putin observed the drills at the Chebarkul Training Ground on Friday and met foreign military attaches, state news agency Tass reported.