Ukraine says Chinese men captured fighting for Russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday said Kyiv's troops had captured two Chinese citizens fighting alongside Russian forces.

"Our military captured two Chinese citizens who fought in the Russian army. This happened on the territory of Ukraine — in the Donetsk region. We have the documents of these prisoners, bank cards, and personal data," Zelenskyy said in a post on social media.

China has presented itself as a neutral party in Russia's war against its neighbor. Unlike the United States and other Western nations, Beijing says it is not sending lethal assistance to either side.

What did Zelenskyy say about the fighters?

Zelenskyy's social media post included images of one of the alleged Chinese prisoners. DW could not independent the authenticity of the video.

Speaking to reporters, Zelenskyy added that he had ordered Ukrainian officials to obtain an explanation from China, which he described as having joined Russia's war against Ukraine.

Zelenskyy said Kyiv had evidence that "many more Chinese citizens" were fighting alongside Russian troops.

"I have instructed the foreign minister of Ukraine to immediately contact Beijing and find out how China is going to respond to this," Zelenskyy said. 

"Russia's involvement of China, along with other countries, whether directly or indirectly, in this war in Europe is a clear signal that Putin intends to do anything but end the war," Zelenskyy wrote.

The Ukrainian president said he expected Washington to react. 

Ukraine's Foreign Minister, Andrii Sybiha, said his ministry had summoned China's charge d'affaires to demand an explanation, posting on the social media platform X that: "Chinese citizens fighting as part of Russia's invasion army in Ukraine puts into question China's declared stance for peace and undermines Beijing's credibility as a responsible permanent member of the UN Security Council."

US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said Washington was aware of the reports, adding that the news was "disturbing."

While Beijing is a close ally of Moscow, it is not publicly known to have directly aided with the Kremlin's full-scale invasion.

Russia has forged closer ties with several of the West's adversaries — including China and North Korea — since launching its war on Ukraine.

Foreign fighters on both sides

Anders Puck Nielsen, a military analyst at the Royal Danish Defense College told DW he was not surprised by Zelenskyy's announcement.

"I was not super surprised to hear that there are Chinese fighting on the Russian side. As long as it's small numbers, then it's probably more individuals joining the Russian army for whatever reason—just as you can find Danes or Germans or Brits, or Americans fighting on the Ukrainian side."

"The more serious thing would be if we see official Chinese units there, in the same way we see North Korean units, for example," he said. 

North Korea has sent thousands of soldiers as well as weapons to help Russia fight Ukraine. There is also a number of foreign volunteers fighting alongside Ukrainian forces.

Edited by: Louis Oelofse