Ukrainian forces have captured two Chinese nationals fighting alongside the Russian army in the eastern Donetsk region, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He stated that these individuals are among many Chinese members of the Russian armed forces and accused the Kremlin of attempting to involve Beijing in the conflict, either directly or indirectly.
Zelenskyy announced that he would contact his foreign minister to discuss how China intends to respond to this situation. It remains unclear whether the captured soldiers were sent by their government or had chosen to sign up on their own.
Several hundred Chinese nationals are believed to have travelled to fight as mercenaries in the Russian army, alongside others from Nepal and Central Asian countries. Their status is distinct from that of the 11,000 soldiers deployed from North Korea after a political agreement between Pyongyang and Moscow.
The captured individuals possessed identity documents, bank cards, and personal data, and Ukraine’s domestic security agency, the SBU, is currently verifying all the facts. Zelenskyy argued that the capture of the two men indicates Russia’s lack of interest in agreeing to a ceasefire in US-brokered peace negotiations.
Zelenskyy claimed that Russia’s involvement of China, along with other countries, in the European conflict is a clear signal that Putin intends to continue the war. He called for a response from the US, Europe, and those around the world who desire peace. There was no immediate reaction from Moscow or Beijing.
In his social media post, Zelenskyy released a video of a captured soldier speaking in Mandarin. Prisoners of war are protected from public scrutiny under the Geneva conventions and their images should not be published online.
China claims to be neutral in the conflict. Russia heavily relies on Chinese-made components in its arms industry, while Ukraine also makes use of such products, although Kyiv is attempting to reduce its dependency on them. Both sides use Mavic drones from the Chinese manufacturer DJI, but Kyiv is seeking alternatives.
Western sources said it is too early to draw definitive conclusions about the captured individuals, but one official stated that they have not seen evidence of state sponsorship, indicating belief that the soldiers acted independently.
Individuals from around 70 countries, including the US, UK, and other European countries, have fought with Ukraine’s military. Some units have actively sought to recruit foreigners to reinforce their depleted forces after more than three years of war.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/apr/08/two-chinese-nationals-caught-fighting-for-russia-in-ukraine-zelenskyy-says
