Ukraine has captured ‘two CHINESE nationals fighting for Russia’

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said today that Ukraine had captured two Chinese nationals fighting for Russia.

‘Our military captured two Chinese citizens who fought in the Russian army,’ he claimed in a post on Telegram today.

‘This happened on the territory of Ukraine – in the Donetsk region. There are documents of these prisoners, bank cards, personal data.’

He said Ukraine had information that there were ‘significantly more Chinese citizens’ still among the Russian units, adding: ‘We are currently clarifying all the facts.’

Zelensky said he had asked his Foreign Minister to contact Beijing ‘and find out how China is going to react to this’.

‘Russia’s involvement, directly or indirectly, in this war in Europe is a clear signal that Putin is going to do anything, except end the war. He is looking for a way to continue fighting,’ he said, calling on the U.S. and Europe to ‘react’.

Video purported to show Chinese citizens detained after fighting for Russia

Zelensky said they had reason to believe there were ‘significantly more’ in the Russian ranks

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addresses a press conference in Kyiv, April 4, 2025

Zelensky said that the prisoners were currently in the custody of the Security Service of Ukraine.

‘Relevant investigative and operational actions are underway.’

If confirmed, the presence of Chinese soldiers on the battlefield would be a major development in the three-year invasion.

Russia was last year accused of drawing in some 12,000 North Korean troops after Ukraine launched a stunning counteroffensive into Kursk and Belgorod.

Hundreds of Yemeni mercenaries were then claimed to have been press-ganged into fighting for Russia in Ukraine, having been lured in with the promise of well-paid work and Russian citizenship.

Some said they were tricked into joining after signing enlistment contracts they could not read, and were told they would be working in lucrative fields like engineering.

When they arrived in Russia, a recruit said a man fired a pistol above their heads and ordered them to sign a contract before they were taken to Ukraine on buses.

Nepal and Sri Lanka also had to warn their people not to be lured in by false promises as it emerged hundreds of their citizens had joined the Russian invasion as mercenaries.

A Ukrainian howitzer fires towards Russian troops on the Donetsk frontline, on April 6, 2025

The ruined town of Maryinka, in Donetsk, Russian-controlled Ukraine, on April 1, 2025