Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Tuesday that Ukrainian forces have captured two Chinese citizens who were allegedly fighting on Russia’s side in the ongoing conflict.
Zelenskyy shared the news on Telegram, posting a video purportedly showing one of the captured Chinese individuals in the Donetsk region.
The individuals reportedly had personal documents confirming their Chinese origin. Zelenskyy has directed Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha to contact the Chinese government regarding the situation.
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This incident marks the first reported instance of Chinese nationals being seen on the frontlines of the war. It remains unclear whether these individuals are affiliated with the Chinese military.
According to a translation, Zelenskyy stated in his post, “We have information that there are many more Chinese citizens in the occupier’s units than just two. We are now finding out all the facts. I have instructed the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine to immediately contact Beijing and find out how China is going to react to this.”
“Russia’s involvement of China in this war in Europe, directly or indirectly, is a clear signal that Putin is going to do anything except end the war. He is looking for ways to continue fighting,” Zelenskyy said.
“We hope that after this situation, the Americans will talk more with Ukrainians and then with Russians. And we hope that the Chinese side will also respond,” Zelenskyy said Tuesday afternoon during a news conference. “This is another country that militarily supports Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on the side of Russia. This is another one after Iran and the North Korean military.”
North Korea is noted as the only known East Asian country to have sent soldiers to assist Russia, with deployments occurring between January and February, and as far back as November 2024.
This is a developing story.
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