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

Chinese 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...