Leaked counterintelligence document reveals Russian concerns about Chinese spying

Joseph Fitsanakis 

A LEAKED REPORT AUTHORED by Russia’s primary counterintelligence agency reveals deep concern in national security circles about the intensity of Chinese spying against Russian interests, according to The New York Times. The paper said last week that the leaked report, which was produced by Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) between 2023 and 2024, offers “the most detailed behind-the-scenes view” of Russia’s counterintelligence concerns about China.

Following the death of Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin, the two communist countries became sworn enemies and nearly went to all-out war against each other. But in recent years Moscow and Beijing put aside their differences, prompted by their mutual desire to challenge the geopolitical supremacy of the United States and bring about a multipolar world. Since 2022, when Moscow resumed its military invasion of Ukraine, Beijing has stood firmly by the Kremlin. China has become the largest importer of Russian energy and has provided the Russian military with much-needed advanced technology. The relationship between the two neighboring nations appears to be deeper than ever before.

But according to a recently leaked report, Russia’s national security establishment is deeply concerned about Chinese efforts to dominate its ally by spying against it. The eight-page report outlines “ENTENTE-4”, a counterintelligence program run by the 7th Service of the FSB’s Department for Counterintelligence Operations. The department is known by its Russian acronym, DKRO. The DKRO’s 7th Service is tasked with counterintelligence planning and operations against Asian countries, with China being its primary target.

According to The Times, the DKRO produced the report sometime between 2023 and 2024. The document appears to have been intended for distribution to the FSB’s field offices across Russia. It was acquired by ARES Leaks, a cyber criminal syndicate, which posted images of the document on the Telegram messenger application. The paper said it shared the leaked document with “six Western intelligence agencies”, all of which assessed it to be genuine.

The DKRO report claims that China intensified its efforts to recruit Russians as spies just days after Russia attempted to invade Kyiv and topple the Ukrainian administration of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. It distinguishes Russian scientists, government officials, business executives, as well as journalists, as the principal targets recruitment operations by Chinese spies. These operations appear to be aimed at acquiring information about Russia’s military operations in Ukraine, especially in light of Kyiv’s use of Western weaponry and warfighting methods.

Chinese espionage against Russia also focuses on Russian military aviation expertise, as well as on the Kremlin’s deployment of mercenary forces—such as the Wagner Group—in Ukraine and in Africa. The DKRO report claims that Beijing is interested in learning how to set up and deploy mercenary forces in areas of the world that reflect its strategic interests, primarily in Latin America, Africa, and Southeast Asia.

Another major goal of Chinese espionage against Russia is “laying the groundwork” for making territorial claims on Russia’s Arctic regions, as well as on Russia’s Far East, which borders China. These regions contain vast resources that remain largely untapped and have long attracted Beijing’s interest. The same applies to the former Soviet Republics of Central Asia, which are being targeted by “a new strategy” in Chinese espionage, aimed at promoting “Chinese soft power in the region”, according to the leaked document.

Notably, the DKRO report cautions FSB officials to avoid publicly referring to China and the Chinese intelligence services as potential enemies of Russia. Doing so could generate media headlines that may cause embarrassment for the Kremlin and have “negative consequences for bilateral relations” between Russia and China, the document warns.