Chinese troops join Russia-led Tsentr-2026 drills, deploy 99A tanks and drones
In short
China’s military took part in the Russia-hosted Tsentr-2026 multinational exercise, held Sept. 28–Oct. 3 at the Chebarkul training ground in the Chelyabinsk region, and began pulling out after the closing ceremony. Yonhap reported 47,000 troops from 41 countries, including Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia and Pakistan, while Newsis’s headline said eight countries took part. Chinese units from the Central Theater Command trained with 99A main battle tanks, drone swarms and ground unmanned vehicles, with troops placed underground to avoid drone strikes, according to Chinese military media.
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Chinese troops took part in the Russia-hosted multinational exercise “Tsentr (Center)-2026” at the Chebarkul training ground in Russia’s Chelyabinsk region, near the border with Kazakhstan, and began withdrawing after the closing ceremony, according to Yonhap and Seoul Economic Daily, both citing Chinese military media. The exercise ran from Sept. 28 to Oct. 3. [ 1 , 3 ]
Yonhap reported that 47,000 troops from 41 countries took part, naming Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia and Pakistan among them. Seoul Economic Daily reported the same 47,000 figure and the same participating countries but did not give a total number of states. [ 1 , 3 ]
Newsis’s headline described the exercise as involving eight countries. Its article text as carried in the feed concerned a financial-sector hacking response and did not match the headline. No other document gave a figure of eight. [ 2 ]
The Chinese contingent came from the Central Theater Command, a Chinese military officer said. According to PLA Daily and CCTV accounts cited in the reports, the troops trained in information reconnaissance, command and control, fire strikes and support, and deployed 99A main battle tanks alongside drones and ground unmanned vehicles. Drone swarms provided ground forces with targeting information, and tactical drones struck targets together with helicopters and ground unmanned equipment; participating units were positioned underground to avoid drone attacks. A PLA Daily reporter who observed the exercise said it “resembled a real battlefield.” [ 1 , 3 ]
Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov said in preparation for the exercise that it took into account “special experience” from the Ukraine operation and the character of modern armed conflict. Seoul Economic Daily described the drill as an occasion on which recent combat experience from the Russia-Ukraine war was shared with participating countries. [ 1 , 3 ]
Chinese military expert Song Zhongping told the Global Times that tanks are vulnerable to large numbers of drones and precision-guided weapons in recent combat, and said the exercise would help the Chinese military build capacity against asymmetric threats. He said pairing the 99A tank with drones and ground unmanned equipment reflected expanding manned-unmanned integration. Yonhap also cited the South China Morning Post as saying China and Russia are not a formal alliance but are strengthening strategic cooperation through regular joint naval and air patrols and large-scale land exercises, and that the drill gives China’s military, which has not fought a large-scale war in decades, exposure to drone warfare and to operational experience from the war in Ukraine. [ 1 ]
Why it matters
The exercise put Chinese troops in a large Russian-hosted drill that Moscow says drew on experience from the war in Ukraine, giving China’s military exposure to drone-heavy combat it has not tested in a major war, according to Yonhap’s account of commentary in Chinese and Hong Kong media. Yonhap also reported a South China Morning Post assessment that China and Russia are not a formal alliance but are strengthening strategic cooperation through regular joint patrols and large land exercises. The documents give no indication of direct impact on South Korea.
Key facts
- Chinese troops joined the “Tsentr (Center)-2026” exercise at the Chebarkul training ground in Russia’s Chelyabinsk region, near the border with Kazakhstan, held from Sept. 28 to Oct. 3. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Yonhap reported that 47,000 troops took part, including forces from Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia and Pakistan, and put the number of participating countries at 41. [ 1 , 3 ]
- The Chinese units that took part were from the Central Theater Command, a Chinese military officer said. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Chinese forces deployed 99A main battle tanks, drone swarms and ground unmanned combat vehicles during the training. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Participating units were positioned underground to avoid drone attacks. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov said the exercise took into account experience from the Ukraine operation and the character of modern armed conflict. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Chinese troops began withdrawing after the closing ceremony. [ 1 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Chinese troops took part in the multinational Tsentr-2026 exercise in Russia’s Chelyabinsk region and began withdrawing after it ended. [ 1 , 3 ]
- The exercise ran from Sept. 28 to Oct. 3 and involved 47,000 troops, including forces from Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia and Pakistan. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Chinese units came from the Central Theater Command and trained with 99A main battle tanks, drones and ground unmanned combat vehicles, with units positioned underground to avoid drone strikes. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov said preparations for the exercise took into account special experience from the Ukraine operation and modern armed conflict. [ 1 , 3 ]
Still unclear
- How many countries took part in the exercise. Newsis’s headline said eight countries, while Yonhap reported 41; Seoul Economic Daily named participating countries but gave no total.
- Whether the Chinese contingent has completed its withdrawal. The documents say Chinese troops began withdrawing after the closing ceremony and do not state that the pullout is finished.
- What the Newsis report added beyond its headline. The article text carried in the feed concerned an unrelated financial-sector hacking response and did not match the headline, so only the headline summary could be used.
- Whether recent combat experience from the Russia-Ukraine war was formally shared with participating forces. Seoul Economic Daily presented this as an interpretation (“풀이된다”), and no other document states it directly.
- Whether the exercise involved live-fire operations beyond the described tactical training. The documents describe information reconnaissance, command and control and fire strikes but do not specify whether live ammunition was used.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Yonhap reports that Chinese troops took part in Tsentr-2026 in the Chelyabinsk region and began withdrawing after the closing ceremony. [ 1 ]
- Newsis’s headline reports Chinese troops in an eight-nation joint exercise in Russia practising with drones and unmanned combat vehicles. [ 2 ]
- Seoul Economic Daily reports the exercise was held at the Chebarkul training ground in the Chelyabinsk region from Sept. 28 to Oct. 3 with 47,000 troops. [ 3 ]