Russia reportedly launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine after the 2022 Winter Olympics at the behest of China, which Moscow is counting on to evade the brunt of Western sanctions.

Moscow allegedly coordinated with Beijing on the timing of its invasion of Ukraine, though the extent to which Beijing knew about the invasion plans is unclear. Intelligence services in the U.S. and elsewhere have differing interpretations of the intelligence report alleging coordination between top Russian and Chinese officials, according to The New York Times.