At least "several hundred" Chinese citizens are fighting on Russia's side in the war against Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on April 11.
The alleged number of Chinese nationals joining Russian forces has increased since Zelensky’s previous statement. On April 9, he said that 155 Chinese citizens were fighting for Moscow on Ukrainian territory.
Earlier this week, Kyiv captured two Chinese nationals fighting for Russia in Donetsk Oblast.
"As of now, there is information indicating that at least several hundred Chinese nationals are fighting as part of Russia’s occupation forces. This means Russia is clearly trying to prolong the war even by using Chinese lives," Zelensky said, addressing Western partners at a Ramstein-format summit in Brussels.
"Putin was not satisfied with soldiers from North Korea. Now he is trying to cover his shortages by pulling in yet another nation — the Chinese," the president added.
Unlike North Korean troops, who have fought on Russian soil, the Chinese nationals were captured on Ukrainian territory, marking a potential escalation in foreign involvement.
A Ukrainian intelligence document seen by the Kyiv Independent on April 9 showed that there are at least 163 Chinese nationals serving in Russia's Armed Forces as of early April. Another document showed photos and passport details of 13 Chinese recruits who were being selected for service in the Russian army as of April 2.
One of the captured soldiers claimed he had paid 300,000 rubles (roughly $3,500) to a middleman in China to join the Russian military in exchange for the promise of citizenship, the press service of a Ukrainian military unit told the online newspaper Ukrainska Pravda earlier in the day.
Beijing has denied any direct involvement in the war and said it has appealed to its citizens to stay away from armed conflicts.
China, which has claimed to be a neutral party in the war, has become Russia's leading supplier of dual-use components essential for weapons production and a key economic partner.
Russia has enlisted foreign fighters from multiple countries, including India, Nepal, and Syria, to fight in its army against Ukraine. Moscow has also used some 12,000 North Korean troops dispatched by Pyongyang to counter the Ukrainian incursion in Kursk Oblast.
Kollen Post
(Updated: )
