--- title: "Putin Is Xi's Puppet Now. Here's Why." description: "Can China truly control Russia? Explore shifting power, Ukraine's impact, economic dependence, military leverage, and the future of Moscow-Beijing relations in this gripping geopolitical deep dive revealing who really leads. Stay ahead of global conflicts with WarFronts Weekly. Get sharp, no-nonsense military analysis straight to your inbox. Subscribe: https://fronts.co/warfronts-weekly Get full conflict briefings, and members-only analysis at fronts.co https://fronts.co Join the community and discuss current flashpoints in real time: https://www.reddit.com/r/frontsco Love the content? Explore Simon's other YouTube channels: Megaprojects: https://www.youtube.com/@megaprojects9649 SideProjects: https://www.youtube.com/@Sideprojects Into The Shadows: https://www.youtube.com/@IntotheShadows Today I Found Out: https://www.youtube.com/@TodayIFoundOut Brain Blaze: https://www.youtube.com/@brainblaze6526 Casual Criminalist: https://www.youtube.com/@TheCasualCriminalist Decoding the Unknown: https://www.youtube.com/@decodingtheunknown2373 Places: https://www.youtube.com/@Places302 Celestium: https://www.youtube.com/@Celestium1234 HomeFronts: https://www.youtube.com/@homefronts Simon on social: Twitter: https://twitter.com/SimonWhistler Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simonwhistler/ References https://kyivindependent.com/lukashenko-holds-talks-with-xi-jinping-in-china-after-meeting-putin/ https://www.reuters.com/world/china/belarus-lukashenko-meets-chinas-xi-beijing-talks-2026-06-29/ https://www.cfr.org/backgrounders/china-russia-relationship-xi-putin-taiwan-ukraine https://thediplomat.com/2026/07/reckoning-with-the-evolving-china-russia-threat/ https://chinapower.csis.org/history-china-russia-relations/ https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2026/5/19/china-russia-relations-are-as-strong-as-ever-thanks-to-trump https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4g8kpkjkl0o https://www.chathamhouse.org/2026/05/china-and-russias-strategic-duo-endures-its-limits-are-clear https://www.iss.europa.eu/publications/analysis/dependence-gap-russia-china-relations https://asia.nikkei.com/opinion/the-myth-of-a-china-russia-axis https://understandingwar.org/research/adversary-entente/the-strengthening-china-russia-nexus/ https://newlinesmag.com/essays/the-russian-complex-why-chinas-ties-to-moscow-run-deeper-than-politics/ https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/russia-approved-secret-china-military-training-top-level-sources-say-2026-07-01/ https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/if-china-recovers-russian-far-east-coast-it-will-suddenly-outflank-island-chain/ https://www.gisreportsonline.com/r/kazakhstan-strategic-crossroads/ https://thehill.com/opinion/international/5379824-china-wants-to-invade-siberia-not-taiwan/" url: https://fronts.co/videos/warfronts-n-mbikr1dbe.md canonical: https://fronts.co/videos/warfronts-n-mbikr1dbe/ datePublished: 2026-07-09T17:30:19.000Z dateModified: 2026-07-09T17:30:19.000Z author: - name: Fronts Staff url: https://fronts.co/authors/fronts-team/ publisher: Fronts type: NewsArticle language: en access: members isAccessibleForFree: false tokens: 713 --- Can China truly control Russia? Explore shifting power, Ukraine's impact, economic dependence, military leverage, and the future of Moscow-Beijing relations in this gripping geopolitical deep dive revealing who really leads. Stay ahead of global conflicts with WarFronts Weekly. Get sharp, no-nonsense military analysis straight to your inbox. Subscribe: https://fronts.co/warfronts-weekly Get full conflict briefings, and members-only analysis at fronts.co https://fronts.co Join the community and discuss current flashpoints in real time: https://www.reddit.com/r/frontsco Love the content? Explore Simon's other YouTube channels: Megaprojects: https://www.youtube.com/@megaprojects9649 SideProjects: https://www.youtube.com/@Sideprojects Into The Shadows: https://www.youtube.com/@IntotheShadows Today I Found Out: https://www.youtube.com/@TodayIFoundOut Brain Blaze: https://www.youtube.com/@brainblaze6526 Casual Criminalist: https://www.youtube.com/@TheCasualCriminalist Decoding the Unknown: https://www.youtube.com/@decodingtheunknown2373 Places: https://www.youtube.com/@Places302 Celestium: https://www.youtube.com/@Celestium1234 HomeFronts: https://www.youtube.com/@homefronts Simon on social: Twitter: https://twitter.com/SimonWhistler Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simonwhistler/ References https://kyivindependent.com/lukashenko-holds-talks-with-xi-jinping-in-china-after-meeting-putin/ https://www.reuters.com/world/china/belarus-lukashenko-meets-chinas-xi-beijing-talks-2026-06-29/ https://www.cfr.org/backgrounders/china-russia-relationship-xi-putin-taiwan-ukraine https://thediplomat.com/2026/07/reckoning-with-the-evolving-china-russia-threat/ https://chinapower.csis.org/history-china-russia-relations/ https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2026/5/19/china-russia-relations-are-as-strong-as-ever-thanks-to-trump https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4g8kpkjkl0o https://www.chathamhouse.org/2026/05/china-and-russias-strategic-duo-endures-its-limits-are-clear https://www.iss.europa.eu/publications/analysis/dependence-gap-russia-china-relations https://asia.nikkei.com/opinion/the-myth-of-a-china-russia-axis https://understandingwar.org/research/adversary-entente/the-strengthening-china-russia-nexus/ https://newlinesmag.com/essays/the-russian-complex-why-chinas-ties-to-moscow-run-deeper-than-politics/ https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/russia-approved-secret-china-military-training-top-level-sources-say-2026-07-01/ https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/if-china-recovers-russian-far-east-coast-it-will-suddenly-outflank-island-chain/ https://www.gisreportsonline.com/r/kazakhstan-strategic-crossroads/ https://thehill.com/opinion/international/5379824-china-wants-to-invade-siberia-not-taiwan/ --- Full analysis is behind the paywall. Read the gated piece at https://fronts.co/videos/warfronts-n-mbikr1dbe/.