Leaked Russian Intel Document Labels China as ‘the Enemy’, Revealing Moscow’s Underlying Anxiety

A leaked internal memo from Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) that has been seen by The New York Times reflects an increasing Chinese paranoia among Russian intelligence agencies.

The eight-page report, according to the newspaper, calls China "the enemy" and describes Beijing's growing role as a national security threat to Russia.

Reportedly gathered by a previously unknown taskforce working within the FSB, the document alleges Beijing has increased attempts to recruit Russian scientists and intelligence officers. It states that Chinese agents are actively seeking out "dissatisfied individuals" who hold access to classified military or technical information.

The FSB reports that Chinese intelligence is tracking Russian combat operations in Ukraine, with specific interest in Western-provided weaponry and battlefield tactics. "Chinese intelligence carries out espionage in the Arctic under the cover of mining companies and research centers at universities," the document claims, identifying the dual capability of China's civilian and academic infrastructure for intelligence purposes.

Another issue is Beijing's potential designs in sparsely populated border regions near the Sino-Russian frontier. The paper cautions that China may ultimately seek to challenge Moscow's claim to this strategically crucial territory.

In an interesting twist, only days before Russia's all-out invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the FSB launched a new counterintelligence initiative titled 'Entente-4.' The irony-laden title came as Russian leaders were publicly affirming ties with Beijing.

Russian intelligence, the document says, feared that China could use Moscow's preoccupation with the war in Ukraine to further its own espionage goals. Since 2022, the FSB said it has seen a marked increase in Chinese attempts at infiltration within Russian institutions. In response, officers were directed to confront Russian nationals who deal with China directly and to "neutralize the threat" without allowing any possible leakage of sensitive information.

The report also asserts that Beijing is keen to draw benefits from Russian scientific research. It quotes massive monitoring by Chinese intelligence, such as using polygraph tests on agents who return from Russia and increasing control over over 20,000 Russian students who are at present studying in Chinese universities.

Among the FSB's more general worries is Beijing's approach of recruiting Russians who are in cross-cultural marriages—especially those wedded to Chinese citizens—for its recruitment campaigns meant to involve the penetration of Russian state institutions.

While Russia and China have made a "no limits" strategic alliance public, the report depicts a portrait of clandestine hostilities between the two. It portrays a "tense and dynamically developing intelligence battle in the shadows between the two ostensibly friendly countries.

Though undated, it is thought to have been prepared in late 2023 or early 2024 and reflects the increasing tensions behind the scenes, even as the nations continued to maintain their diplomatic engagement on the surface.