According to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukrainian forces have captured two Chinese nationals fighting with the Russian army in the eastern Donetsk region.
The Ukrainian President said that they were two of many more Chinese members of the Russian armed forces, accusing the Kremlin of trying to involve Beijing in the conflict “directly or indirectly.”
Zelenskyy said that a clash with Chinese soldiers occurred near the villages of Tarasivka and Bilohorivka in Donetsk, where six Chinese military personnel engaged Ukrainian troops. “Two Chinese were taken prisoner,” Zelenskyy said.
He stated that China would be the third country to offer military support to Russia after Iran, which has supplied attack drones, and North Korea, which according to American and South Korean officials, has supplied soldiers.
Zelenskyy noted he would ask his Foreign Minister “to immediately contact Beijing and clarify how China intends to respond to this”, though it was not clear if the captured soldiers had been sent at the behest of their government or were individuals who had chosen for themselves to sign up.
A few hundred Chinese nationals are thought to have travelled to fight as mercenaries with the Russian army alongside others from Nepal and central Asian countries.
Their status appears to be different to that of the 11,000 soldiers from North Korea who were deployed on the frontline after a political agreement between Pyongyang and Moscow.
Russia allows foreigners to enlist in its military, as does Ukraine.
Also, Zelenskyy disclosed that identity documents, bank cards and personal data were found in the possession of the two men captured, and that his country’s domestic security agency, the SBU, was “verifying all the facts.”
Zelenskyy wrote on social media that 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. “He is looking for ways to continue fighting,” he added.
Russia has effectively rejected a US proposal for an immediate and full 30-day halt in the fighting in Ukraine.
He said that the development “definitely requires a response” from the US, Europe and “all those around the world who want peace.”
Zelenskyy said separately at a press conference in Kyiv, “I think the United States should pay more attention to what is happening today.”
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister, Andrii Sybiha, said on X, his ministry summoned China’s chargé d’affaires to demand an explanation.
“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 U.N. Security Council.”
Andrii Sybiha,
Western sources said it was early to reach definitive conclusions about the captured individuals.
However, one official said that so far “we’re not seeing evidence of state sponsorship here”, indicating an initial belief that the captured soldiers had acted on their own initiative.
China presents itself as a neutral party in the conflict and says it is not sending lethal assistance to either side, unlike the United States and other Western nations.
However, it is a close political and economic ally of Russia, and NATO members have branded Beijing a “decisive enabler” of Moscow’s invasion, which it has never condemned.
Moscow and Beijing have in recent years boasted of their “no limits” partnership and deepened political, military and economic cooperation since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
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