The Ukrainian forces captured two Chinese citizens who were fighting for Russian troops in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, President Volodymia Zelensky said.
The Ukrainian president said the Intelligence News suggested that the number of Chinese soldiers in the Russian army was “more than two higher.”
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andri Sibikh said the Chinese troops fighting on Ukrainian territory “pose a question of China’s declared stance on peace,” adding that Kiev envoys have been summoned to explain.
It marks the first official allegations that China is supplying Russia with talent for the war in Ukraine. There was no immediate response to requests from Moscow or Beijing.
In a statement on social media platform X, Zelensky said soldiers will have identification documents in the eastern Donetsk region of Ukraine, including identification documents containing bank cards with “personal data.”
He said the Ukrainian army fought six Chinese soldiers, taking two of them with them.
The post is accompanied by a video showing one of the Chinese prisoners in handcuffs, which speaks Chinese and appears to explain the recent battle.
“We have information that suggests that the occupying unit has more Chinese than just these two,” he said.
“Russia’s involvement in China, along with other countries, is a clear signal that Putin is going to do anything other than end the war, whether directly or indirectly, in this war in Europe,” he said.
Zelensky sought a response from “from America, Europe and all people in the world who are seeking peace.”
An investigation is underway and the prisoners are currently under control of Ukraine’s security services, he added.
The Ukrainian foreign minister said he summoned Kiev’s Chinese accusations to “request an explanation.”
Writing about X, Andriy Sibiha said: “We strongly condemn the involvement of Russian Chinese citizens in their attack war against Ukraine and participation in the battle with the Ukrainian army.”
He added that “Chinese citizens fighting as part of Ukrainian Russian invasion forces doubt China’s declared stance on peace and undermine Beijing’s credibility as a responsible permanent member of the UN Security Council.”
French newspaper Le Monde previously reported that he belongs to a Chinese person who claims to have signed up for the Russian military on Tiktok’s sister app Douyin (available only in China).
According to Kyiv and Western officials, North Korea has sent thousands of troops to support Russia’s war efforts against Ukraine.
At a press conference Tuesday, Zelensky said: “The North Koreans fought us in front of Kursk, the Chinese are fighting on Ukrainian territory.”
In January, Ukraine said it had captured two North Korean soldiers injured in Russia’s Kursk Oblast.
Beijing and Moscow are close political and economic allies, but China has repeatedly denied supplying Russia with military equipment, seeking to present its position as a neutral party in the conflict.
One of the main advantages in the Russian war is the numbers. It has been reported that Moscow will use “meat grinder” tactics to throw a huge number of soldiers at the frontline, gradually improving their position.
Russian President Vladimir Putin began a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and Moscow currently controls about 20% of Ukraine’s territory, mostly in the east.
